Franklin women's volleyball came back from one slow start on Saturday — and then nearly did it again.
The Grizzlies rallied from a set down to start their afternoon with a 26-28, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 victory over host Bluffton, then nearly stormed their way from an even bigger hole before taking a 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 26-28, 15-9 loss to nearby Ohio Northern.
Against the Beavers, Franklin (17-4, 2-1 HCAC) let a late first-set lead slip away but used a 7-1 burst to take the lead for good in set two at 21-18. Bluffton cut that deficit to one at 22-21 before the Grizzlies finished out the set with a
Leah Middleton kill, a
Grace Sailors kill and a Middleton ace.
The third and fourth sets saw the Grizzlies take over, opening the third with a 12-3 lead and using an 8-1 run in the fourth to stretch the lead to 19-10.
"Heck of a battle from our group today," Griz coach
Dillon Taylor said. "We found a way to wake up after a slow first set, we found a new level and we beat an incredibly scrappy Bluffton team."
Freshman
Avery Smith put down 19 kills to pace the Franklin attack, with Middleton adding 13 kills and 23 digs.
Brionna Linkel had 31 assists and
Addie Smith 21. Sailors finished with five blocks and
Lily Gena pulled up 22 digs.
The Grizzlies had leads of 15-6 and 15-9 in the first two sets against ONU but wound up surrendering both. Rather than concede defeat, they regrouped and took the third set, leading most of the way and holding off a late charge with an
Avery Smith kill. Franklin also won the fourth, fighting off a match point on a
McKenzie Schroeder kill and forcing a fifth set with a
Kaitlyn Lowes kill.
Set five belonged to the Polar Bears, who scored the first four points and stayed on top the rest of the way.
Even after the Griz comeback fell short in the nightcap, Taylor found plenty to be pleased about.
"We challenged them to focus on our side of the net and to push," he said. "We ended up with five attackers in double figures — a true testament to our balance and depth."
Indeed, Franklin got 14 kills from Middleton, 13 from Schroeder and 11 each from Sailors,
Avery Smith and
Lauren Kinsey. Linkel finished with 34 assists and
Addie Smith 17, while Gena led the back row with a career-best 33 digs.
The Grizzlies travel to Earlham this coming Wednesday before hosting Transylvania on Saturday.
