Pioneer Volleyball Cruises to Conference Win

Pioneer Volleyball Cruises to Conference Win- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 9/24/24

Lady Pioneer Volleyball picked up its first American Midwest Conference win tonight in a big way as CRC three-set swept the Lady Trojans of Hannibal-LaGrange University. The Lady Pioneers improved to .500 on the year with a 4-4 overall record. Sets went as follows: 25-21 CRC, 25-23 CRC, and 25-17 CRC. 

Hannibal, MO- Three sets is all it took for the Lady Pioneers to claim a conference win in the newly joined American Midwest Conference with the Lady Pioneers sweeping HLGU. In the opening set, the Lady Pioneers were challenged by the host team as CRC struggled to create score space in their favor. The matchup's first big change came with the team knotted up at 15 and frightfully, it was in favor of HLGU with the Lady Trojans producing a 5-0 run to take a 20-15 lead over CRC. To disrupt the Trojans rhythm, Coach Carol Brotman would burn a timeout to regroup with her team and when play continued, the 1st year Associate Head Coach's plan worked as sophomore Jillian Glasgow stepped behind the service line and coaxed a massive 8-0 point run from her team to reclaim the lead 23-20. Thanks to this big shift, Alexis Weirich would feed Alyssa Dirden to put the final touches on set one with a kill slamming the hardwood. 

In tonight's middle set, the score would play like the first with both teams being evenly matched until a critical turning point took place which separated the victor from the loser. Trailing by one to Hannibal-LaGrange, 11-12, senior Paige Glenn would answer the call by coming through for the Pioneers with the Paragould, AR native delivering three big-time kills for the Pioneers and serving up back-to-back service aces helping them claim a 19-14 lead. Glenn's efforts proved to be the crux the Pioneers needed to hold on to the lead as CRC narrowly outlasted a late run from the Lady Trojans with CRC taking the set with a two-point margin.

Now up two sets and with all the momentum behind CRC, the Lady Pioneers wasted little time by climbing ahead 7-1 over Hannibal-LaGrange before building it to a staggering 17-8 lead over the Lady Trojans. This massive lead is credited to the entire Pioneer offense firing on all cylinders, mustering 12 kills and 7 service aces in the final set. The Trojans scratched back but it wouldn't faze CRC as the Pioneers claimed the final set with their biggest set win of the matchup. 

Paige Glenn led the Pioneers with 10 kills on a .615 hitting percentage and added 3 service aces. Alyssa Dirden led in digs with 9 and contributed 8 kills and 5 service aces. Brooklyn Cross led in blocks with 2 and contributed a respectable 6 kills to the CRC cause. Jillian Glasgow led in assists with 14 in the conference win. 

Up Next: CRC will hit the court tomorrow against Missouri Baptist University with a matchup scheduled for a 12:00 PM start time. #GOPIONEERS