NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Hanover Panthers (15-4 overall, 0-1 HCAC) opened Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action at Manchester on Friday evening falling to the Spartans 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 18-25).
 
Hanover was led in the contest by sophomore Abbey McCoy (Indianapolis, Ind.) with a team-high 14 kills for a .333 hitting percentage.  Sophomore Megan Vogel (North Vernon, Ind.) added 21 assists while freshman Madison Schicker (Fishers, Ind.) collected 15 digs.
 
As a team, the Panthers finished the contest hitting .230 with 39 digs and a game-high 10 blocks.
 
The lone set win for the Panthers came in set one. They found themselves with a 7-4 advantage following a series of attack errors by the Spartans. McCoy helped push the set out of contention pacing a 5-0 run that saw Hanover ahead 14-8. Schicker helped the Panthers secure the set from the service line as the Red and Blue won 25-18.
 
However, the momentum was quickly surrendered as the home team was able to capture the next three sets en route to the HCAC victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 12 when they welcome Berea.