HANOVER, Ind. – The Franklin College volleyball team wrapped up a two-match road trip on Saturday (Oct. 26) afternoon with a trip to Collier Arena and a meeting with the Hanover Panthers.
 
The Grizzlies (9-16, 0-5 HCAC) and Panthers (19-5, 3-2 HCAC) staged a five-set thriller, but in the end Hanover was able to keep the golden ball in town by winning 22-25, 28-26, 26-18, 24-26, 15-11.
 
Set One: Franklin 25 – Hanover 22
After racing out to an early lead with six straight points, the Grizzlies held off Hanover until late in the set, when the Panthers went in front 22-21. The Grizzlies responded with four points to finish off the game one win, getting three kills from McKenzie Schroeder and an ace from Hope Moring to finish off the comeback.
 
Set Two: Hanover 28 – Franklin 26
Hanover raced out to the early lead before the Grizzlies mounted a comeback and Franklin moved to set point with three straight points that made it 24-23. But Hanover would fight off set point on two separate occasions, and the Panthers would get even with four of the game's final five points.
 
Set Three: Hanover 25 – Franklin 18
The Panthers controlled game three on the pins, hitting .270 for the set to .0051 for the Grizzlies. A 9-2 Panther run midway through the set would put enough distance between the two sides, with the hosts riding a 16-10 lead all the way to a win.
 
Set Four: Franklin 26 – Hanover 24
Franklin fought off elimination and a late Hanover rally in game four, shutting down a 7-2 Panther run that tied the set at 24 and winning with a Hope Moring kill followed by a Panther attacking error to knot things up at two games each.
 
Set Five: Hanover 15 – Franklin 11
Hanover ripped off the set's deciding run with a 5-1 stretch that turned a one-point game into a 10-5 Panther lead. Franklin clawed back to within a point at 11-10, but the hosts would shut the door with four of the final five points.
 
Inside the Box Score
-The Grizzlies hit .197 to .186 for the Panthers.
-McKenzie Schroeder matched her career high with 17 kills and was joined in double figure kills by Kaitlyn Lavy (16), Moring (13) and Trinity Schroeder (10).
-Brionna Linkel collected another double-double with 49 assists and 20 digs, setting career highs in both categories.
-Campbell Clark led the back line with 22 digs and added a career-high eight assists.
-Hannah Phegley added 18 digs and a team-high four aces.
 
Up Next
Franklin is back at home on Wednesday (Oct. 30), when they host Rose-Hulman on Senior Night. First serve from the Spurlock Center is set for 7:00 p.m.