Box Score FRANKLIN, Ind. – Fresh off of two straight-set wins two days ago, the Franklin College volleyball team looked to keep winning streak going on Thursday (Feb. 4) night when they hosted the Rose-Hulman Engineers inside Franklin's Spurlock Center.
The Grizzlies (4-3, 3-1 HCAC) trailed on just three instances all night long, as they rolled to a sweep of the Engineers 25-14, 25-16, 25-15. It marks the first win for the Grizzlies over Rose since Oct. 7, 2015, when Franklin rallied from down two sets to stun the Engineers.
Game one saw the Grizzlies take the lead for good on the first rally of the night, starting a 6-1 run that set the tone for the opening game. Franklin would lead by as many as 12 points in the opening set, finishing with 15 kills and a .278 hitting percentage while holding Rose to just seven kills against seven attack errors.
The second set started out the same way as the opening game, but Rose would rally out of an early hole and eventually tie things up at 13. But the remainder of the set was all Grizzlies, with Franklin taking 12 of the final 15 points to grab a stranglehold on the match. While the attack put away another 11 kills, it was the Grizzly defense that stood out in game two, allowing just four Engineer kills against nine Rose errors.
Franklin faced their first deficit of the night early in the third set, but shook that off to tie things up and eventually put the final game out of reach with five straight points that made it 17-12. That proved to be all the cushion Franklin would need, with Abby Sewell putting the finishing touches on the sweep with an ace.
Freshman Reagan Egbert recorded her second straight double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, leading a Franklin attack that hit .222 on the night. Kyndall Boyll had nine kills and both Sewell and freshman Chloe Holder added eight put-aways. Freshman Sofia Helton tossed up 32 assists and added 14 digs for her first career double-double. Allison Thompson led all players with 16 digs on the night.
Franklin is back in action on Saturday (Feb. 6), when they head out on the road for a pair of matchups against the Defiance Yellow Jackets. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m.
