AUBURN HILLS – A victory earned! Macomb Volleyball improved to 4-1 in MCCAA Eastern Conference action with a five-set victory over the host Oakland Community College Owls on Wednesday (Oct. 2) in Auburn Hills. The win, the Monarchs seventh overall on the season (7-13), came via set scores of 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20 and 19-17.

With the victory, the Monarchs moved into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference ahead of Monday's (Oct. 7) home match against the always tough Skippers of St. Clair County Community College. Monday's conference contest features a 7 p.m. first serve at the Sports & Expo Center.

As for Wednesday's marathon match, the Monarchs battled back from a pair of deficits to earn the hard-fought road 'W'. Trailing two sets to one, the Monarchs posted an emphatic 25-20 win in the fourth set before outlasting the Owls in a frantic fifth frame by a 19-17 final tally.

Kaley Eller (Utica, Mich./Utica) led the Monarchs' attack for the second time in as many matches with 15 kills, adding seven digs and a block assist to close out a well-rounded week on the court. Hadley Schaefer (Harrison Twp., Mich./Parkway Christian) recorded her best match of the season with 12 kills on 23 attempts (two errors) for a team-leading .435 hitting percentage.

Schaefer also posted three of the team's 13 aces to lead the serving department.

Kara Beeker (Warren, Mich./Warren Woods Tower) followed Eller and Schaefer at the net with eight kills and added an even eight digs, while Jordan Pflaum (Shelby Twp., Mich./Lutheran High North) checked in with seven kills of her own and Grace Amoe (Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse) slammed down five kills to accompany three block assists in the road win.

Ashlyn Cunha (Richmond, Mich./Anchor Bay) paced the defense with 20 digs and was followed by Paige Elliott (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Country Day) and Sophia Kulaga (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) with 18 and 11 digs, respectively. Elliott also led the assists department with 28 and was one of five Monarchs with two aces on the night (Beeker, Ash. Cunha, Eller, Kulaga).

Milley McCutcheon (Roseville, Mich./Lakeview) rounded out Wednesday's leaders with an impressive showing, posting season highs in assists (15) and block assists (3).