UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Playing as non-conference foes for the first time since 1988, the Heidelberg University Volleyball team pulled off a stunning reverse sweep at John Carroll University. The Student Princes triumphed with the 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 28-26, 17-15 victory.
Providing the power behind the victory was
Sophia Simon. Simon had 29 kills -- the most in the 25-point rally scoring era in Heidelberg history. Only Tina Siegel (32 in 2004) and Shelly Rogers (30 in 2002) had more kills, both of which came when sets 1-4 were 30-point affairs.
The 3-2 win came after a tough weekend at Earlham for the Student Princes.
Simon's 29 kills came on 46 swings, hitting .546.
Kaitlyn Uffman had 17 kills with a .382 attack percentage.
Maddie Reed and
Olivia Miller set up the offense with 30 and 22 assists apiece.
Grace Dohanyos had a team high 32 digs to lead the defense. Uffman had seven total blocks and
Gabby Wolfe had four.
Down 2-0, Heidelberg dominated the third set to stay alive.
The fourth set was a roller coaster. The lead changed hands eight times, but neither side led by more than three points. JCU led, 22-20, but Heidelberg tied it. Later, The Berg had set point, but the Blue Streaks tied it with a block. After a kill, the hosts were serving with match point on the line, but a thunderous kill from freshman
Emma Jones knotted the set. After trading points again, Uffman and
Ava Devereaux put the ball down on consecutive plays to force the fifth set.
In the fifth, JCU combated a 3-0 deficit with an eight-point run, seemingly burying the Student Princes. With Simon serving, the Tricolor clawed back in with a 4-0 swing. Later, Heidelberg took an 11-10 lead, but JCU quickly answered with three. The Streaks led 14-12, but were unable to seal the match as Uffman and Simon (twice) notched kills. The rally at 14-14 was incredible, with the Student Princes digging the ball out of the net twice and withstanding a barrage of JCU attacks before Simon won the point. Tied at 15, JCU was undone by a pair of attack errors -- touching off a joyous celebration for the Student Princes.
John Carroll, which left the OAC at the start of this season, slipped to 7-5 overall. Heidelberg improved to 9-4.
The Student Princes travel north this weekend for three games at Calvin University.
Photo: Sam Herr, JCU Sports Information
