The visiting Lady Pioneers (23-13, 9-5 AMC) rallied from an early 4-1 deficit in the first set to build a 14-9 lead. Trailing 18-15, MVNU (32-8, 10-4 AMC) rattled off four straight points capped off by a kill by junior right-side hitter Courtney Springer (left) to take a 19-18 lead. The two teams traded points to 22-22, but then Malone scored the final three points of the set to take it 25-22.

The second set was much like the first as the Lady Cougars grabbed an early 6-5 lead only to see the Lady Pioneers move in front 13-9. Trailing 15-12, MVNU strung together four straight points to take a 16-15 lead on a kill by sophomore middle hitter Jackie Albrecht.

Six sideouts and three ties later and with the Lady Cougars up 19-18, Malone scored seven of the final eight points of the set to post a 25-20 victory and go in front two sets to none.

It seemed at first as though the Lady Pioneers might sweep the match as Malone took what appeared to be a commanding 10-3 lead to start the third set. However, a pair of kills by freshman middle hitter Gina Porto and a kill from Albrecht pulled MVNU back within 10-6.

The Lady Cougars scored 11 of the next 15 points to take a 17-14 lead as they failed to go quietly in the match. Springer led the comeback with three kills, while Porto and sophomore middle hitter Sarah Yutzy added a kill each. The Lady Pioneers pulled to within one point on three occasions down the stretch, but MVNU was able to pull away for the 25-21 victory to force a fourth set.

In the fourth set, the Lady Cougars again found themselves trailing early 9-6. Then, Porto (right) pounded three kills to help pull MVNU even at 10-10. Trailing 16-14, Springer smashed a pair of kills and Albrecht added a kill of her own to put the Lady Cougars on top 17-16. With MVNU in front 19-18, freshman outside hitter Cieleste Rose served the Lady Cougars the rest of the way as Porto also added two more kills in the 25-18 win.

In the fifth and deciding set, the teams traded points and the lead early on with the score knotted at 7-7. Then, Malone scored five of the next six points to build a 12-8 lead. Following a kill by Springer, the Lady Pioneers closed out the set with three straight points for the 15-9 win to take the match.

Porto finished with a career-high 22 kills and two blocks to lead MVNU, while Austen handed out 57 assists with 14 digs. Albrecht registered 14 kills, 12 digs, and two blocks, and Springer added 12 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore libero Caitlin Myles posted a career-high 24 digs, while Rose tallied 17 digs. Yutzy also pounded seven kills with two blocks.

“This was a good match that will hopefully go a long way in getting us ready for the playoffs,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson. “(Malone) outplayed us in the first two sets. Then, I was proud of the way that we battled back in the third and fourth sets. We just were not able to complete the comeback in the fifth set. We need to learn from this, come out ready to play from the start next time, and just execute more consistently.”

The loss coupled with Ohio Dominican University’s upset of AMC-leading Walsh University knocked the Lady Cougars out of the No. 2 seed for the upcoming AMC Tournament that will be held at either Shawnee State University or Ohio Dominican on November 14-15. The six-team event will get under way with two first-round matches on Friday. MVNU and Malone will get a chance to renew Tuesday’s epic battle in the first round as the Lady Cougars will be the No. 3 seed and the Lady Pioneers will be seeded No. 6. The other first round match will feature No. 4 seed Cedarville University taking on No. 5 seed University of Northwestern Ohio. Times for these matches have not been set yet as the site will determine the times due to other events scheduled. The tournament will be at Shawnee State unless Walsh loses both of its final two matches. Complete details on the tournament will be announced early next week on the MVNU website. The winner of the AMC Tournament will advance to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round on November 22.