MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Volleyball) – Brianna Wiget (SO/Piketon, Ohio) notched a career-high 15 kills and Bonnie Huesing (JR/Mason, Ohio) topped 40 assists for the third time this season, as the Shawnee State volleyball squad tallied a 3-2 (25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 15-25, 15-13) victory over Freed-Hardeman to begin a four-match weekend at Milligan Mountain Madness.
Following the hard-fought victory, the Bears came up short in the second match of the weekend, falling in four sets to host Milligan College. The Buffaloes took the first two sets (25-21, 25-19) before surrendering a 25-20 defeat in set three. The home squad eclipsed a 23-20 deficit in the fourth and would-be final set, tallying the final five points of the match to earn the 25-23 victory.
In the first match – versus FHU – Shawnee jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead thanks in part to eight early kills from Miranda Clark (JR/Chillicothe, Ohio). Clark finished with 14 kills, and Lauren Helbig (JR/Mansfield, Ohio) added 12.
With control of the match after 25-20 and 25-23 victories, SSU began to let things slip away. The Bears led 23-21 in the third set before four straight Freed-Hardeman points forced a fourth set and shifted the momentum drastically. The Lions would control the fourth set from the outset, cruising to a 25-15 win.
A resilient Shawnee State squad answered the bell with a vengeance in the fifth and final set. The Bears tallied the first three points of the set on a pair of kills from Helbig and one from Wiget, and proceeded to take a 10-7 advantage. FHU responded with three-straight of its own before the two squads locked at 11 and 12.
SSU notched a kill from Huesing and an ace from Rhyanna Day (JR/Beaver, Ohio) to push the advantage to 14-12. Following a Lion kill, Wiget put the contest away off an assist from Huesing to clinch the Bears' fourth victory of the season.
The Bears registered an attack percentage of .164 in the contest, and tallied three team blocks. Huesing ended with 44 assists to go along with 10 digs and a pair of kills. Christina Shelton (JR/West Union, Ohio) added nine kills and 11 digs.
There would be no rest for the weary, as SSU enjoyed just under 20 minutes before facing off against Milligan. The fatigue showed early as the Buffs tallied back-to-back wins in the opening two frames.
Facing defeat, the Shawnee club answered the call with a 25-20 victory. The Bears trailed by as many as three in the early going and were tied at 20-20, before rattling off five straight points for the victory. Helbig, Wiget and Clark each recorded kills during the run.
The newfound momentum followed the Bears into the fourth set, as the visitors jumped out to a 10-5 advantage on the heels of two kills from Wiget and Huesing. Milligan brought the contest all the way back to even at 11, and the teams traded points before locking at 20-all.
A kill from Wiget and back-to-back attack errors from the Buffs handed SSU a quick 23-20 advantage, seemingly setting up for a second-straight five-set match. But the home squad had other ideas. Milligan tallied five-straight scores out of a timeout to put the set and, ultimately, the contest away with a 25-23 victory.
Wiget's eight kills led the way for SSU, along with Clark, who also registered eight. The Bears struggled on the attack, registering a -.007 attack percentage. Just four Shawnee players notched a hitting rate in positive figures. Madison Smith (SR/Orrville, Ohio)'s 29 digs was a match-high.
The Bears will get back after it Saturday at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, facing off against Purdue-Calumet at noon. Following the match, SSU will square off against Reinhardt University at 2 p.m. to bring the weekend to a close.
