DECATUR, Ill. – The Hanover Panthers (13-1 overall) competed as part of the Millikin Invitational pushing their record-setting win streak at 13 straight games. Hanover defeated Illinois College in game one 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-16) before competing with nationally ranked Millikin and falling in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-11).
 
GAME ONE
The Panthers dominated game one of the Invite as junior Elliot Mays (Jeffersonville, Ind.) charted a game-high 10 kills for a .389 hitting percentage. Sophomore Megan Vogel (North Vernon, Ind.) added 11 assists while senior Maggie Schweitzer (Shelbyville, Ind.) dished out a game-high 16 assists.
 
After finding themselves trailing 8-3 the Panthers woke up. Hanover used a four point rally to claim the 11-10 lead. The momentum continued as a freshman Nicole Stratford (Lanesville, Ind.) kill knotted the contest 17-17. It was just what Hanover needed as they were able to capitalize on an Illinois College hiccup for the 25-22 win.
 
In set two, they used a key rally on the serve of freshman Madison Schicker (Fishers, Ind.) to capture a 13-11 difference. Mays handled the rest as she flexed her muscles from the service line helping HC secure the 25-19 victory.
 
The final set was all Hanover as a Maddie Robertson kill extended the Panther lead to 13-6. Schweitzer did her thing dominating the opponents with her serve to blow the contest out of reach, 25-16.
 
GAME TWO
 
Hanover surrendered their first loss of the season to nationally ranked Millikin in straight sets. The first set saw senior Jessie Stenger land a kill that tied the contest 4-4. However, Millikin responded with a rally that pushed their lead to 20-6. The Panthers found themselves in a hole too deep to overcome surrendering the set, 25-17.
 
The second set Hanover battled from the net as a Stratford kill gave HC the slim 7-6 difference. But once again Millikin was able to find a momentum-shifting rally that saw them claim a 19-11 advantage. They secured the set 25-15.
 
The final set saw Millikin dominate using a 5-0 run to push the contest nearly out of reach, 17-7. Their reign continued as they were able to secure the 25-11 win.