Once again, it took five sets in the DeCarlo Varsity Center to decide the fate of a volleyball match.

Last Tuesday, it was John Carroll going the distance to beat Oberlin. Tonight, the Blue Streaks exhausted every last point to upend the visiting Hiram Terriers. The sets came out to 25-18, 16-25, 20-25, 25-17, and 15-13 to give JCU the 3-2 victory.

JCU scored the first four points in the first frame and kept their lead rolling until the end. 

The second frame came out in favor of the Terriers, who used a burst in the middle of the game to pull away from a slim 10-9 lead. Lindsey Stahl's serving aided Hiram to even the match.

In the third game, late kills by Kayla Cole helped the Terriers break free from a 19-19 deadlock to win, 25-20, and take a 2-1 lead.
 
John Carroll took the first five points of the fourth frame, and would move out to a 13-4 lead, but the Terriers came back strong. Two aces from Stahl jump started a 11-1 Hiram run, and the Terriers tied the game at 14-14.

The Blue Streaks, aided by a boisterous student section that swelled its numbers when the men's soccer team joined the crowd after practice, found renewed spirit and close out the frame by winning 11 of the final 14 points. Ava Nice and Brooke Hjerpe had big kills down the stretch and Cassi Calamunci had a solid run as a server to force a fifth game.

The fifth set started with four points in a row by the Terriers. Once again the Blue Streaks came back, winning 11 of the next 14 points. Calamunci and Carleen Ellerbruch combined for four kills to key the rally.

Hiram got close at 12-11 and again at 14-13, but an error by the Terriers ended the match.

Calamunci with 20 kills on 55 attacks, for a .309 attack percentage. Hjerpe had 16 kills and 17 digs, while Sarah Calabrese added 11 kills and 17 digs. Ally Bartolone tallied 46 assists and Anna Coughlin had a career-high 30 digs to help John Carroll improve to 10-3.

John Carroll is now 25-16 all-time against Hiram but this was the second victory over the Terriers since 2005.

The Blue Streaks will travel to Meadville, PA to take on Allegheny College and Pitt-Greensburg this upcoming Saturday, September 21st, at 11:00 a.m.