CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The Wabash College volleyball team earned a convincing straight-sets victory by defeating in-state rival Franklin College 25-22, 25-13, 25-15 Tuesday night at Chadwick Court in the first meeting between the programs.
Wabash (2-3) hit .321 for the match and controlled play in all three sets, finishing with a 38-21 advantage in kills while holding Franklin (0-3) to a .013 attacking percentage. The Little Giants also posted a 3-2 edge in team blocks and served six aces in the match.
The opening set featured the most back-and-forth action of the night. The score was tied 10 times, with two lead changes, as neither team was able to establish early separation. After the teams were knotted at 11-11, Wabash used a 4-0 run—sparked by a kill and service ace from
Shad Wilson and an attacking error by Franklin—to take a 15-11 advantage. Franklin trimmed the margin to 21-17 late in the set, but kills from
Zev Wolverton and
Bawibawi Thang down the stretch helped the Little Giants close out the frame, capped by Thang's kill for the 25-22 decision.
Wabash took control early in the second set, turning a 3-3 tie into a 10-5 lead behind multiple Franklin attack errors and a kill by Thang. The Little Giants continued to build momentum with an 11-1 run that stretched the margin to 14-5. Wolverton delivered a service ace during the surge, and
Jaden Greenwell added two kills as Wabash hit .550 in the set. The Little Giants closed the frame on an 11-2 run, highlighted by a late service ace from Wolverton, to secure the 25-13 win.
The third set followed a similar pattern as Wabash jumped out to a 5-0 lead, including a service ace from
Matthew Stitle and a block by
Gabriel Brandenburg and Wilson. Franklin briefly cut the deficit to 8-4, but Wabash responded with a 7-2 run to pull away. Thang and Wilson each recorded multiple kills during the stretch, and the Little Giants finished the match by scoring eight of the final 10 points to take the set 25-15.
Thang led all players with 15 kills while hitting .414 and added a block assist. Wilson followed with 10 kills on .400 hitting, along with two service aces. Greenwell contributed seven kills without an attack error, hitting .636 for the match. Stitle directed the offense with 34 assists, while
Piotr Wolan anchored the back row with 13 receptions and eight digs without an error.
Franklin was led by Corbin Deck, who recorded eight kills, but the Grizzlies were limited to single-digit kills in each set and struggled offensively against the Wabash block and defense.
Wabash returns to Chadwick Court on Sunday to face Westminster College (Mo.) at 1 p.m.
