Virginia Beach, Va. — Millikin University women's volleyball traveled 13 hours to the sand of Virginia for four matches this weekend, snagging three out of four wins.
To open the weekend on Friday, September 4, the Big Blue faced off with St. Joseph's College of Maine. Leading the way for Millikin was Maggye Smith with 15 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Defensively, Francesca Brandonisio tallied 11 digs along with one service ace. The blue and white pulled out a 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-12) win, dominating as a team.
The Big Blue then faced off with Virginia Wesleyan University and took a tough loss, going 0-3. Through this loss, Gabriella Ricci stepped up, earning eight kills on 19 attacks (.421), joined by Smith, who added another six kills on the evening.
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Head coach Whitney Nichols expressed excitement for putting a win under their belt, adding that "it was a full team effort win along with Virginia Wesleyan making us better." Nichols is ready for the opportunities that lie ahead in Saturday's matches.
Millikin opened Saturday morning versus Rowan University with a 3-1 win, pulling through with resiliency and grit.
The Big Blue came in hot with 15 kills in the opening set, finishing the match at .223 hitting with a total of 52 kills. Carrying the offense was Kyra Carothers with 10 kills on .300 hitting, along with three blocks and four aces. Ricci and Thayleah Hall also contributed nine kills each.
To make the offense happen, setters Alyssa Frederking and Haylee Porter combined for 37 assists. The back row was led by Brandonisio with 17 digs, along with an uncommon three kills on five attempts.
To finish the weekend, the Big Blue had a dogfight for an opening set with New Paltz but ultimately finished with a 3-1 win.
The first set went to extra points (26-24), with four ties and one lead change. It came down to hitting percentage, resulting in Millikin landing on top with 11 kills on .000 hitting and New Paltz with a negative percentage.
The Big Blue then dropped the third set after being out-hit by the Hawks. This allowed for "needed tests early in the season," says head coach Nichols. "When things didn't go our way, we got better, both physically and mentally." To close out the match in the fourth, the Big Blue went 25-15 to make a statement on their growth in a short period of time.
Carothers closed the weekend with a total of 36 kills on .333 hitting, and Brandonisio totaled 69 digs with 13.8 per set. This win put Millikin volleyball at a winning overall record of 3-2 on the season.
The Big Blue return to the court on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for three matches, where they will take on University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Rose-Hulman.
