Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SANDUSKY, Ohio -- The LeTourneau volleyball team finished their first day of matches on a strong note, defeating Heidelberg by a score of 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23) on Friday evening after a 3-2 loss to Manchester earlier that afternoon.  

Kaci Monk led the YellowJackets with 16 kills, with Nora Lockhart adding 11. Allison Smith stuffed six attacks to lead the defense, but had some help from her friends Hannah Payan and Lockhart, who added three blocks apiece. Morgan Nix had 32 digs to pace the team in that category, and Reina Lawson added nine digs and a team-high five aces.

After seeing themselves go down after the first set, LeTourneau needed a breakthrough, but it would not be easy.  

A hotly contested second set proved a tough road for the YellowJackets, but they found a way to come through when it mattered most. Thanks to a Monk kill and two forced errors from the defense, a one-point deficit turned into a two point lead. LeTourneau held on late with another small, but punctuating rally to clinch the set 25-22.

The third set became another obstacle in the course for the YellowJackets, as they found themselves down 23-17 and in need of a regroup. That regroup produced an 8-0 run, with Monk recording two kills and Payan adding one, clinching a momentum-seizing 2-1 set lead by a 25-23 score.  

The fourth set had some punches thrown from both sides, with LeTourneau ripping off an early 4-0 run, only to be countered by a Heidelberg 6-0 run.

The pattern continued late into the set, with neither team able to pull away.  The YellowJackets finally put the nail in the coffin with Allison Smith taking a Grace Talkington pass and delivering a kill to take the set, 25-23, and match, 3-1.

Heidelberg was led in kills by Anneliese Schriber, who had 12.  Olivia Miller added team-high marks of 20 assists and four aces.  Grace Porter contributed four blocks while Grace Dohanyos dug out 17 attacks.  

In the first match of the day, LeTourneau lost a close one to Manchester, 3-2. Official statistics were not available.  

UP NEXT 

The YellowJackets conclude their north-bound trip with an early morning doubleheader, facing off against Allegheny at 7 a.m. CDT, followed by a matchup versus Case Western Reserve at 11 a.m. CDT.

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