The Millikin volleyball team went 1-1 in action at the Rose-Hulman Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana on Sept. 12.  Millikin
         In its first match of the day Millikin lost to Ohio Northern 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-19).  Ohio Northern improved to 6-1 with the win.  Head Coach Debbie Kiick praised the passing of sophomore Erin Syversen and the hitting of freshman Cortney Bohn that kept the Big Blue in the match.
         Bohn had nine kills with a .571 hitting percentage.  Syversen had nine kills and 13 digs.  Kelsey Talkington had seven kills and five blocks.  Geena Mancuso and Cassidy Kingery each had 11 digs.  Emily Mihalkanin had 23 set assists.
         Brianna La Croix led Ohio Wesleyan with nine kills.
         Kiick adds that Millikin struggled from the service line and suffered from several misfortunate breaks in the match.
"I was proud of our sustained effort to get the job done," said Kiick.  "We got beat by a good team and got better in the process."
Millikin bounced back to win its second match of the day defeating Anderson 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16).  Millikin started strong and controlled the entire match.  Freshman Emily Seegmiller had a breakout game in her first varsity start with 10 kills and a .348 hitting percentage.
         Kiick was pleased with the Big Blue's service receive play.  She said Alyssa Visvardis, Syversen, Mancuso an Kingery were all over the court with relentless defense.  The great defense work allowed Mihalkanin to spread out the Millikin offensive attack frustrating the Anderson defenders.
         Talkington had 11 kills and five blocks.  Syversen had 20 digs and eight kills.  Kingery had 20 digs and Mihalkanin had 35 set assists.
         Annie Bachman led Anderson with six kills.     
"We made strides in the match," stated Kiick.  "We want to spend the rest of the weekend working on finding the consistency we need to play at the high level we are capable of."
Millikin is now 3-4 and will be back in action in the Rose-Hulman Tournament on Sunday, Sept. 13.