NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Franklin volleyball team played their final weekend invitational of the season, taking part in the Spartan Invitation on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 22-23) on the campus of Manchester University.
 
The Grizzlies moved to 6-9 on the year after splitting their four matches. Franklin bested Alma in four sets on Friday night and beat Manchester in five sets to close out the weekend. The Grizzlies dropped matchups with Trine on Friday and Concordia Chicago on Saturday.
 
Trine 3 – Franklin 1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-23)
The Grizzlies rallied to take a thriller in the opening set but couldn't build off that momentum, dropping the next three sets with two coming in close contests. Freshman McKenzie Schroeder paced the offense with 13 kills and a .414 hitting percentage. Brionna Linkel led the team with 18 assists followed by 16 helpers from Sofia Helton.
 
Campbell Clark anchored the back line with 25 digs with Hope Moring adding 11 digs. Chloe Holder, Alyssa Zemlyak and Makalyn Miller all led the net-front defense with three blocks each.
 
Franklin 3 – Alma 1 (15-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-19)
The Grizzlies shook off a sluggish first set to roll to convincing victories in three straight games to down the Scots. The Griz attack was huge in sparking the comeback, hitting better than .200 in each of the last three sets.
 
McKenzie Schroder was dominant on the attack again, putting down 12 kills with a career-best .545 attacking percentage. Moring and Miranda Wilson added 10 kills each and Franklin had four players hit at least .240 in the win.
 
Linkel led the Griz with 17 assists and nine digs in the game. Helton and Moring tied for the top spot with three aces each and Holder held down the front of the net with seven blocks.
 
Concordia Chicago 3 – Franklin 2 (26-24, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13)
After four tightly contested sets, the deciding game saw the Cougars rattle off four straight points to turn an 11-10 deficit into a 14-11 lead. Two straight Franklin points got the game back within a point but the Grizzlies couldn't finish off the comeback.
 
Moring led the attack with 15 kills while Wilson and Schroeder added 13 kills each. Linkel and Helton both served up 25 assists while Holder had three aces and seven blocks to lead both categories. Moring and Clark tied for the team lead with 12 digs each.
 
Franklin 3 – Manchester 2 (16-25, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 15-13)
Another battle that needed a fifth and deciding set saw Franklin's attack turn up the pressure to secure a big win over a league rival. Franklin hit .375 in the final game with a final kill from Schroeder securing the final point of the day.
 
Wilson had a huge afternoon with 17 kills followed by 14 kills from Moring and McKenzie Schroeder. Linkel had 26 assists to lead the attack with Helton adding 18 helpers. Clark led the back line with 23 digs while Trinity Schroeder topped the squad with six blocks.
 
Franklin opens up Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play on Wednesday (Sept. 27) evening, hosting the Bluffton Beaver at 6:30 p.m.