ALBION, Mich. – The Albion College community will celebrate Halloween with its annual Spooktacular next weekend, but the Briton volleyball team didn't want to wait that long to deliver a scare.
Feeding off an enthusiastic Kresge Gymnasium audience, Albion pressed fourth-ranked Calvin College to four drama-filled sets. Laura Danhoff and Maggie Kamp combined for 35 kills and Tessa Van Laare added nine kills and three block assists to lift Calvin to a 25-16, 20-25, 28-26, 25-23 victory.
Albion hit .321 with 11 kills in 28 attempts as it drew even in the match by winning the second set. Taylor Rosenthal assisted on blocks on three consecutive points as the Britons jumped out to a 6-3 lead. Another Rosenthal block, this one with Halle Thom, extended the margin to 9-4. Thom and Maria Pregenzer, who was playing in place of injured starter Jessica Konieczny, terminated points and Calvin committed an attack error as Albion owned a 12-5 lead. Albion's 20-12 lead melted to three, but Pregenzer came up with a kill and a solo block to keep Albion in front.
"It was a big step in by Maria tonight," Albion Head Coach Kristin Slamer de St. Aubin said.
Albion kept the pressure on Calvin in the third set as Lauren Outwater terminated a point as the Britons took a 6-2 lead. Albion led 16-12, but Calvin reeled off four quick points to forge a tie at 16. The teams traded points until Van Laare and Jenna Lodewyk combined on a block and Danhoff terminated a point to put the set in Calvin's column.
Albion started slowly in the fourth set and trailed 9-4. Attack errors on consecutive points and a kill by Halle Thom pulled Albion within two. Calvin led 16-11, but Albion countered with runs of two and three points to trail by one at 19-18. Monica Shuk served aces on consecutive points as Albion tied the score at 23, but Kamp terminated a point and Albion hit the ball out of play to end the match.
While the result wasn't what Albion wanted, de St. Aubin said the goal is to continue to bring the effort.
"We're never happy with a loss, but we're always happy with a great match," de St. Aubin said. "The challenge is to string this together – to always play to our potential.
"I challenged the team to play to our potential – to show everybody in our conference how good we are," de St. Aubin added.
Rosenthal and Stephanie Thurner produced 12 kills apiece for Albion. Rosenthal added eight block assists.
Setter Ami Milligan also got involved in the block party, assisting on four, while collecting 32 assists and 10 digs.
Albion, 14-11 overall and 4-8 against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rivals, visits Trine University tomorrow.
