WARREN, Mich. – Fans were in attendance for the first time since October 2019, and Macomb Volleyball made the most of playing in front of their home crowd, completing a thrilling 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Mott Community College on Tuesday (Sept. 14). The 3-1 comeback victory marked the Monarchs' first win over Mott – the four-time defending MCCAA Eastern Conference Champion – since October 11, 2017.
The Monarchs improve to an even 4-4 overall and jump out to a 1-0 record in MCCAA Eastern Conference play after earning the thrilling victory in what was both teams' league opener. Mott fell to 5-8 overall and 0-1 in conference play following the 3-1 setback.
Tuesday's victory was even more impressive considering the Monarchs lost the opening set by a decisive 25-13 margin. Third-year head coach Lauren "Doogie" Duquette helped regroup and reset the team from there as the Monarchs showcased their resiliency by rattling off three straight, hard-fought victories.
"We stuck to our game plan," said Doogie following the match. "We came in knowing it would take a special defensive effort to beat a team like Mott and we rose to the challenge. Our defense was incredible, and I thought our effort and energy was amazing throughout the match. I'm so proud of the team and I'm happy to see their hard work pay off tonight."
After dropping set one by 12 points, the Monarchs fought back, evening up the match thanks to a 25-18 second set win. Set three was the difference-maker as the Monarchs stunned Mott, erasing an 18-11 deficit to record a 25-23 victory. Despite having all the momentum, the Monarchs once again had to battle back in set four, this time negating a 20-16 deficit to post a 25-23 win and take the match, 3-1.
Khloee Stoll (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) impressed yet again with another match well north of 30 digs. The freshman libero paced five Monarchs with double-digit digs as Juliana Bollini (Washington, Mich./Romeo), Emily Langlois (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North), Haley Link (New Baltimore, Mich./Lutheran North) and Kara Lewicki (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North) all recorded 11-or-more digs.
The Monarchs had a balanced attack as well as reigning MCCAA Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Natalie Husson (Marysville, Mich./Marysville), and Ja'Nae Davis (Grand Rapids, Mich./Godwin Heights) each slammed home nine kills, while Lewicki followed with eight kills of her own. Erika Knieper (Marshall, Mich./Noblesville) and Samantha Olson (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II) combined for 11 kills, many of them for timely points late in the match.
Langlois once again quarterbacked the Monarchs efficiently with 32 assists.
The Monarchs remain home for a non-conference match opposite Lawrence Tech JV on Friday (Sept. 17). First serve is 6:00 p.m. with live stream coverage scheduled to begin at approximately 5:45 p.m. on www.MacombMonarchs.com/Watch.
