The Grenadiers beat Ohio Christian University in straight sets (26-24, 25-21, 25-17) on Thursday, Oct. 8 to win their fifth straight game.

The Grenadiers improve their record to 12-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

In the first set the Trailblazers took an early 9-2 lead against the Grenadiers. The Grenadiers would go on a 5-0 run to bring it to 7-9. Both teams would continue to battle it out in the first set.

“We weren’t very focused at first and we didn’t start off where we should have,” Maddie Jacobi, freshman defensive specialist, said.

With the first set tied at 24-24, one team just needed two straight points to win the set. An attack error by Lexi Jacobs, sophomore outside hitter, of the Trailblazers followed by a kill by Hannah Barker, junior setter, gave the Grenadiers the final two points they needed to win the first set 26-24.

“We came out thinking that the game would be ours, and then when we realized that it wasn’t,” Katie Fischer, junior middle blocker, said.” We came out and played harder.”

In the second set it was close at the start with the Grenadiers leading 9-8. Then the Grenadiers would go on a 9-5 run to lead the set 18-13.

However, Ohio Christian would go on their own run. The Grenadiers then found themselves down 18-19.

As the Trailblazers were on the verge of a comeback the Grenadiers elevated their performance at a crucial point in the game.

A kill by Hannah Joly, freshman outside hitter, and then a service ace by Caitlynn Pfaadt, defensive specialist, started a 7-2 run to give the Grenadiers a 25-21 win in the second set.

With having the momentum of winning the first two sets the Grenadiers looked to win the 3^rd set and win the match. The Grenadiers kept the lead throughout the third set and won the set 25-17 and the match.

“We didn’t come prepared for a team that played as good as defense as the other team did,” head coach Eric Brian said. “We are always not going to play great, so when we’re not playing our best we have to work hard and find ways to win.”

Joly had a game-high 13 kills. Monica Loftus, freshman right side hitter, and Kelsey Willinger, sophomore outside hitter, both had six kills each and Fischer had five kills.

Barker had a game-high 28 assists. She is now averaging 9.2 assists per game, which is second in the conference and 49^th in the NAIA.

The Grenadiers will look to extend their winning streak to six games when they play Carlow University in the Activities Building on Friday, Oct. 9.