DEARBORN, Mich. – Macomb Volleyball shook off a slow start to win in sweeping fashion Monday (Oct. 16) on the road at Henry Ford. The Monarchs trailed 18-10 in the opening set before bouncing back to win the first frame by a 26-24 final. The comeback ignited the Monarchs as the Blue & White went on to win the final two sets by 25-8 and 25-17 final tallies.

The sweep lifted the Monarchs to an even 10-10 overall and 6-4 in the MCCAA Eastern Conference. With six wins in the conference, the Monarchs inched closer to securing a spot in the one of the two upcoming NJCAA Region 12 Tournaments (Districts A & B). The team can officially lock up a playoff spot as early as Wednesday (Oct. 18) if Mott defeats OCC. 

The Sophomore Night tilt is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the Sports & Expo Center. Stay tuned for a special announcement regarding the Sophomore Night match later this week!

As for Monday night, the Monarchs outscored the Hawks 16-6 to close the opening set to erase an 18-10 deficit for a 26-24 win. The Monarchs posted a match-high 12 kills in the first set to earn the victory.

In the second set, Becca Weiss (Dryden, Mich./Dryden) was unstoppable from the service line and rattled off 14 straight points, including five aces, to help the Monarchs cruise to a 25-8 win. The strong effort gave the Monarchs a 2-0 lead in the match and carried over into the third and final set where the Blue & White closed out the contest with a 25-17 triumph.

Mallory Cardinale (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley) paced a balanced attack with nine kills and was followed by Chante Hudgins (Warren, Mich./Lincoln) and Adeline Tresnak (Dryden, Mich./Dryden) with seven and five kills, respectively.

Weiss led the Monarchs from the service line with seven aces, one shy of her career high, while Nikole Nikolova (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford II) recorded three aces of her own and Hudgins and Paige Elliott (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Country Day) checked in with two.

Elliott tossed up 19 assists and Nikolova posted a career-best six, while the defense was led by a trio of Monarchs who recorded double-digit digs: Tresnak (12), Weiss (11) and Nikolova (10).

Tresnak and Grace Amoe (Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse) helped limit the Hawks attack with three block assists each.