TIFFIN, Ohio - With the regular season coming to a close this weekend, Tiffin volleyball will host Walsh and Malone as they battle for playoff positioning.
Game Information:
Tiffin Dragons (15-12, 8-2 GMAC) vs
Walsh Cavaliers (17-7, 9-1 GMAC)
Friday, Nov. 15 | 7:00 p.m.
Tiffin, Ohio | Gillmor Center
Video | Live Stats
Tiffin Dragons (15-12, 8-2 GMAC) vs
Malone Pioneers (9-20, 4-6 GMAC)
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 12:00 p.m.
Tiffin, Ohio | Gillmor Center
Video | Live Stats
Dragon Details:
Tiffin has already locked up a GMAC Championships berth as well as a host site for the quarterfinal rounds, and could earn anywhere from the second to fourth seed depending on the outcome of this weekend's matches. The Dragons currently sit in third, but a pair of wins would bump TU past Walsh in second-place.
Last weekend, the Dragons hosted Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene, sweeping the Panthers but falling to the Trojans in five sets for just their second conference defeat.
Jenna Huffman is currently second in the nation in kills per set with 4.61 and third in points per set with 5.23.
Loryn Huffman has moved up to second in the GMAC with 10.29 assists per set, while Sam Fallis is also third with 4.57 digs per set. Fallis is also fourth with 34 aces on the year, and Grace Schreiber is tied for fourth with 77 blocks.
Scouting the Cavaliers:
Walsh is one of just two teams ahead of the Dragons in the conference standings, slotting in second at 9-1 in GMAC play. As mentioned, though, with a pair of wins this weekend the Dragons would surpass the Cavaliers for the second spot.
Walsh dropped their first conference contest last Friday, getting swept by undefeated Hillsdale. They bounced back with a sweep of Findlay on Saturday, just their fourth sweep out of nine GMAC victories.
The Cavaliers are 28th nationally in hitting percentage at .243 as a team, led by Justine Coffman's mark of .279 that is seventh in the conference. A pair of Cavaliers are in the top 10 in the GMAC in kills per set, with Lauren Loucks in fifth at 3.57 and Hallie Schroeder in 10th with 2.96.
Olivia Kearns is third in the GMAC with 10.11 assists per set, while Amber King is seventh with 69 total blocks on the season.
Scouting the Pioneers:
Malone will be fighting for their postseason lives this weekend, as the Pioneers are currently in a three-way tie for seventh in the conference with the top eight getting into the tournament. At 4-6 in GMAC play, they are tied with Lake Erie and Findlay, the latter of whom they fell 3-1 to last Friday. Malone went 0-2 last weekend, also dropping a 3-1 contest to Hillsdale, but earned the recognition of being just one of two GMAC schools to take a set from the No. 11 Chargers this season.
The Pioneers lead the conference and are 15th nationally with 1,938 total digs on the year. Leading the way on the back line is Sydney Black, who is first in the conference and 49th nationally with 512 digs. Her mark of 4.53 digs per set is fourth in the GMAC.
Kayla Jones leads the team with 2.70 kills per set and a .247 hitting percentage, followed by Hannah Eliason at 2.25 and .245, respectively. Eliason also holds the team lead with 63 blocks on the year.