Box Score ASHLAND, Ohio – It took five sets, including one very lengthy ones, but the AU volleyball team remained unbeaten in GLIAC play with a 31-29, 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 15-9 win over division rival Findlay on Saturday (Sept. 10) afternoon at Kates Gymnasium.
The Eagles (4-2, 2-0 GLIAC) won the first two sets in the match, but the Oilers (3-4, 1-2 GLIAC) nailed down the next two. AU never trailed on its way to a fifth-set win.
"You never expect to win in three, you expect to go to five each time," said AU head coach Cass Dixon. "I expected it to be a fight and it was."
Ashland was led offensively by junior outside hitter Brittany Snider (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) and sophomore middle hitter Susie Jonas (Harrison, Ohio), who finished with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. For Jonas, it was the second-highest total in her career.
Junior setter Crystal Elliott (Canal Winchester, Ohio) had a double-double, tallying a season-high 50 assists and 10 digs. She was also 5-for-10 attacking with no errors.
"Crystal is making really good decisions," Dixon said. "I love that we're getting our middles the ball."
The Eagles gained a huge advantage by winning a tight first set. AU had six separate chances to win the set, but each time the Eagles had the lead, the Oilers would fight back for a point to stay alive. The set finally ended on a couple errors by UF.
Ashland trailed the second set, 20-17, but scored six of the next seven points – the final of those coming on a block by Snider and Jonas. Snider's ace with AU up 24-23 sealed the second-set win.
Ashland dropped the next two sets and struggled to gain any ground once Findlay took leads in the middle of each set.
"I think we fought in those sets, but something was still holding us back," Dixon said. "We had been disciplined defensively in the first two sets. But in sets three and four we kind of lost that and got caught watching instead of moving."
The Eagles never trailed in the fifth set as freshman Alyx Crislip (Louisville, Ohio) and Snider pounded kills to give the Eagles a lead they did not relinquish. Crislip had seven kills on 21 attacks with no errors in the match.
AU hit a whopping .684 in the fifth set as Snider and Jonas combined to go 8-for-8 attacking. The Eagles did not have an error in the set. Senior Arian Martin (Independence, Ohio) recorded six of her team-high 20 digs in the decisive fifth set.
Martin is now just five digs from moving into second place on AU's all-time digs list with 1,441 in her career.
"Arian Martin is one of the best defensive players I've ever had the opportunity to coach," Dixon said. "Arian makes great reads and she's so low to the floor that she can rob attackers of kills."
Sophomore Marci Zegarac (Lansing, Mich./South) also played very well for Ashland, finishing with six kills on 18 attacks to go along with seven digs.
The Oilers were led by Danielle Taflinger (18 kills) and Erin Thomasson (16 kills, 10 digs). Jacqui Endre had a match-high 21 digs and Jessica VonIns added 48 assists, eight kills and 11 digs.
The Eagles have played nine sets in the last two days, but they welcome No. 11 Hillsdale to Kates Gymnasium on Sunday (Sept. 11) at 2 p.m.
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