GRINNELL, Iowa – Nebraska Wesleyan volleyball swept Grinnell, 3-0, Wednesday evening in Darby Gym, marking the first time the Prairie Wolves have swept the Pioneers in Grinnell since Aug. 31, 2013.
Nebraska Wesleyan (6-4) held Grinnell (3-7) to a .090 hitting percentage in the victory. The Prairie Wolves won by set scores of 25-17, 26-24 and 25-21.
The Prairie Wolves recorded 42 kills from six different players while hitting .288 as a team. Nebraska Wesleyan also totaled 8.0 blocks and held the Pioneers to 27 kills.
Molly Ramirez led all players with 12 kills while hitting .286. Ella Foote added 10 kills, while Elecea Saathoff dished out 32 assists. Macy Plucker recorded a match-high 17 digs to go along with seven kills. Foote also contributed 3.5 blocks.
The opening set saw Grinnell take an early 6-5 lead before Nebraska Wesleyan settled in and engineered a 6-0 run to take a 12-6 advantage. The Prairie Wolves maintained control from there, closing out the set 25-17.
Nebraska Wesleyan and Grinnell went back-and-forth early in the second set, with the Prairie Wolves holding a 7-6 lead. Nebraska Wesleyan then used a 3-1 run to take a 10-7 advantage. Grinnell answered by taking a 14-13 lead and later knotted the set at 17-17.
The Pioneers appeared poised to even the match when they took a 24-20 lead, but Nebraska Wesleyan rallied with six straight points to close out the set, 26-24, and take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set featured an early 7-1 run by the Prairie Wolves. Nebraska Wesleyan continued to apply pressure and extended its lead to 16-6. Grinnell responded with a 12-7 run to cut the deficit to 22-18 and force a Nebraska Wesleyan timeout.
The Prairie Wolves held on from there, closing out the set 25-21 to secure the sweep and their sixth win of the season.
Nebraska Wesleyan returns to action Friday against Carleton. First serve against the Knights is set for 7 p.m. in Northfield, Minnesota.
