KALAMAZOO, Mich. – It was a challenging night for the hitters, but Monica Shuk collected 40 digs, a school record for a four set match, as Albion College pulled out a 25-22, 25-11, 22-25, 25-18 victory over Kalamazoo College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association volleyball action.
Albion came into the match ranked 38th among NCAA Division III teams in digs per set. The Britons only helped that ranking by collecting 101 digs, Lauren Outwater added 15, and Ami Milligan had 14 to go along with 36 assists.
Halle Thom, one of two seniors winding down her collegiate career, produced 11 kills for Albion. Outwater, Taylor Rosenthal and Stephanie Thurner chipped in with eight kills apiece.
"It was a scrappy night," Albion Head Coach Kristin de St. Aubin said. "Kalamazoo pushed our outside hitters to find shots by doing a great job of setting its block to slow our big hitters.
"We had to work hard defensively," de St. Aubin said. "We talked a lot about not getting frustrated. We tell our hitters it's OK to get dug, it's OK to keep swinging."
Albion hit .382 in the second set with 14 kills in 34 attempts, but that was the only time scoring came easy. Thurner terminated three points to power Albion's eight-point spurt as the Britons built a 9-1 lead. Albion later scored seven in a row as five of those points came off Kalamazoo attack errors.
Rosenthal terminated the point as Albion forged a tie at 20 in the third set. Kalamazoo scored the next four to extend the match.
Jessica Konieczny terminated a point and assisted on a pair of blocks late in the fourth set to help Albion pick up its 15th victory of the season.
"We haven't talked about winning and losing, and that's by design," de St. Aubin said. "We talk about doing the little things right."
Albion will complete the season Saturday with home matches against Saint Mary's College and Kenyon College. The first serve of the match against MIAA rival Saint Mary's is set for 12 p.m. inside Kresge Gymnasium.
