GRANVILLE, Ohio – After a season-opening win at home against Spalding on Thursday, the Centre volleyball team traveled to Denison to compete in the Big Red Classic against no. 23 Ohio Northern. The Colonels and Polar Bears battled back and forth for five sets before ONU took the 3-2 win in the clincher.
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
 
- ONU gradually built a lead in the early portions of the opening set before the Colonels caught fire at the midway point as Isabel Thornton delivered three kills in a big Centre run to tie the score at 16-16. The Polar Bears called a timeout and scored the next four points before pulling away to a 25-19 win.
- The second set was closely contested throughout, with neither team leading by more than four at any point. The Colonels took the biggest lead of the set at 20-16 and fought off a late ONU charge to take a 25-21 win as Emily Goddin and Hollye Tate came through with consecutive kills to seal the deal.
- Centre dominated the third set as they never trailed, led by as many as ten points and cruised to a 25-18 win as Josie Grace-Mudd put home the final kill. Centre hit .385 for the set, the highest percentage by either team during any of the sets in the match.
- The fourth set looked to be a repeat of the third as the Colonels got off to another hot start and led by eight points at 17-9. The Polar Bears used a 6-0 run to close the gap and take the lead. Centre regained the lead and pushed the contest to match point at 24-23, but ONU scored the next three to win 26-24 and push the match to the brink.
- The fifth set was another close one as both teams battled to the end. Centre took an 11-10 lead on consecutive kills by Grace-Mudd, but ONU responded with five straight points to take the match with a 15-11 win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
- Goddin led the Colonels with a career high 15 kills. Grace-Mudd tied her career high with 13, while Thornton added 11 kills for the Colonels. Grace-Mudd also led all players with a hitting percentage of .464, recording zero errors in the match to go along with her 13 kills.
- Emily Gardner finished with a team high 34 assists, with Meredith Phillips adding 19.
- Madi Barron led all players with 28 digs, with June Padilla and Ally Knueven each finishing in double digits. Centre held a 95-92 edge over ONU in digs.
- The Colonels outhit ONU .227-.191 for the match, but the Polar Bears held a huge advantage in aces, delivering 14 compared to three for Centre.
 
NEXT UP
 
Centre volleyball will wrap up the Big Red Classic on Saturday with a doubleheader against Houghton and host Denison.