Bazier Video

Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College volleyball team sent out seniors Ashley Bazier and Dena Dunn with a pair of victories during the program's Senior Day on Saturday.

The Grizzlies rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat Defiance College in a dramatic five-set Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) match 19-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, and 19-17. Then, Franklin swept Kenyon College by identical 25-21 set scores to conclude the 2016 season.

With a 15-12 finish, Franklin secured its third consecutive winning season.

The hosts began the comeback against the Yellow Jackets by jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the third set, following a serving ace from junior Amanda Lelivelt.

In the fourth set, a kill by junior Brooke Harvey pushed Franklin's lead to 10-7. Freshman Kennedy Surface registered a kill a few points later to give the Grizzlies a 14-12 advantage. A kill by sophomore Gab Arthur scored Franklin's 17th and 24th points of the set.

Both teams traded momentum throughout the deciding fifth set. A block from sophomore Sydney Stuckwisch gave Franklin an 8-7 lead. The hosts fought off three match points during the extended set, and finally completed the comeback when a Defiance attack play sailed out of bounds.

Surface led the Grizzlies' offensive attack with 23 kills, compared to two errors. She added 16 digs in the victory. Lelivelt registered 13 kills to just one error, for a .429 hitting percentage. Harvey added 10 kills, while Arthur chipped in eight kills to round out the team's balanced offensive effort.

Bazier recorded a season-high 48 assists. Stuckwisch had five solo blocks and tallied seven kills for the Grizzlies.

Sophomore Libby Stahl had a team-high 30 digs, while Arthur added 20 digs. Harvey (11) and Lelivelt (10) also reached double figures in defensive digs.

Against Kenyon, three service aces from Lelivelt gave the hosts a 9-4 lead in the opening set. The team took an 11-8 lead later in the frame on a kill from Arthur.

In the second set, the Grizzlies took a four-point lead, 10-6, on another successful kill from Arthur. Another kill from Bazier gave the team a 20-14 lead.

Franklin gained momentum of the third set on a kill from Harvey to push the margin to two points, 19-17. The Grizzlies won six of the next 10 points to secure the victory.

Harvey registered 11 kills in the non-conference match, while Surface tallied nine kills. Lelivelt and Arthur each recorded eight kills.

Bazier helped distribute the offensive attack with 37 assists in her final college match. Stahl had a match-high 20 digs, while Arthur chipped in 10 digs.