ADRIAN, Michigan - The Wilmington College volleyball team fell to a pair of Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foes on day one of the Bulldogs Classic on Friday. The hosts defeated the Fightin' Quakers 25-20, 25-18, 25-18 and lost to the Britons 25-9, 25-19, 25-11.
In the match with Adrian, Taylor McCuistion led Wilmington with eight kills while Morgan Loomis chipped in four kills and four block assists. Karley Schlensker led the squad in digs with 22.
In the loss to Albion, the Britons opened the match hitting a blistering .455 clip (a dozen kills and just two errors on 22 attack attempts. The Quakers, on the other hand, finished set one with six kills.
Set two was the most competitive of the match along with the most defensive. Neither team tallied an attack percentage of over .150 with both squads finishing with 11 kills. Albion won four of the first five points, but Wilmington, thanks to a mini service run from Karley Schlensker, won four straight points to hold a slim 5-4 lead. It was then the Britons' turn to rattle off four straight, but attack errors and two kills from Jillian Wesco gave the Quakers a three-point edge in the middle of the set. Wilmington held this advantage all the way to 19-17, but Albion won the final eight points of the set on a service from from Kameron Haley to go up 2-0.
Play seemed to revert back to set one in the final set as Albion jumped out early and held comfortable for the sweep.
Albion held advantages in the majority of team statistical categories including kills (37-22), assists (35-21), aces (13-2) and blocks (4-2). Wilmington, plagued by the 13 reception errors, struggled to stay in system as Summer Wilbur dished out 18 assists for an average of six per set. Wesco and Meghan Koch combined for 14 kills while Schlensker led the team in digs with 14.
The Briton duo of Kelsey Gustafson and Chloe Webber, who both hit over a .340 clip, tallied 11 kills apiece. Grace VanDorn dished out 31 assists.
The Quakers (0-2) conclude the Bulldog Classic with a match against Manchester University tomorrow (Saturday) at 11 a.m.
