ELMHURST, Illinois -- The Heidelberg University volleyball team started the 2019 season with a pair of victories at the Elmhurst College Invitational on Friday. The Student Princes opened with a 3-2 thriller over No. 10 Aurora (25-20, 22-25, 28-26, 12-25, 15-12), then followed up with a 3-1 win over Greenville (23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-18).
Having graduated a number of key players from the 2018 season, head coach Jason Miller relied on a new mix -- with veteran leadership from Alyssa Crusey, Taylor Valentine, Jordann Gudorf and Anna McNabb. Sarah Oney, Peyton Miller, Mya Morris and Amy Feczer thrived in their increased roles. Freshmen Olivia Cristian and Julianna Peña enjoyed success in extended action on day one.
Offensively, Cristian amassed 36 kills and attacked at a .364 clip in her first day. Feczer tallied 22 kills and hit .333 while Crusey added 19 kills. McNabb (59 assists) and Peña (36 assists) rotated time at setter.
Defensively, Oney led the team with 52 digs. Feczer had eight total blocks while Cristian had four and Crusey had three.
"I thought the kids fought hard today and dug through some adversity and played great team volleyball," said Miller.
The Student Princes are 2-0 for the first time since the 2011 season.
Tied at 17 in the opening set, HU scored six of the next seven points to take control of the set.
After the Spartans evened the match at 1 set apiece, Heidelberg had a 24-21 lead in the third. Three straight points from Aurora prompted a timeout from Miller. HU went up 25-24, but Aurora scored the next two points to take a 26-25 lead. An Aurora attack error was sandwiched between kills by Crusey and Maddie Szawranskyj, giving HU the win.
Aurora stomped its way through the fourth set to force the decisive fifth set. There, the Spartans forced Miller into a timeout with a 4-1 run to start. An ace by Peyton Miller and kills by Cristian set HU on a 6-0 run. After a timeout of their own, Aurora raced back to even with a 3-0 mini-run. Undaunted, Heidelberg regained control with a kill by Valentine followed by a block and kill by Cristian. Up 14-10, HU allowed two points before Crusey capped the match with a kill.
Having lost the first set to Greenville, the Tricolor stormed out to leads of 6-0 and 8-1 en route to a second-set victory. In the third set, a 12-1 run vaulted The Berg to the win.
In the fourth set, Heidelberg climbed out of an early 4-0 hole with an 8-0 run bookended by a pair of kills from Cristian and Crusey. From there, HU maintained a comfortable cushion on their way to the win.
The Student Princes return to the court in the Chicagoland area on Saturday. HU opens with North Central at 11 a.m. and ends the trip with a 3 p.m. skirmish with host Elmhurst.
