Alma, Mich. – The Alma College volleyball team defeated Olivet College 3-1 (23-25, 25-10, 25-20, 25-15) as senior middle blocker Katie Bush (Lowell, Mich. / Lowell) had 16 kills on senior night where the Scots honored the graduating players. 

Seniors Brianna Zimmer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and Brooke Mason (Marshall, Mich.) also performed well in their final regular season game at Art Smith Arena with Zimmer recording eight digs and Mason adding six digs.  

It was the Scots eighth straight win as they improve to 18-2 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA. Olivet drops to 12-11 and 2-4 in conference.  

What Happened 

• After celebrating the careers of their three seniors, Alma kept the party going with a nice start up 10-5 which forced an Olivet timeout. The Comets responded though, and after a 7-1 run the set was tied 14-14. Olivet controlled the momentum the rest of the way and took the set by two points. 
• Following a tight loss in the opening set, the Scots answered with a quick start and continued great play in the later parts. An 11-2 run made it 18-7. Sophomore Haley Novak (Midland, Mich.) had two spectacular digs that led to Alma winning points. The Scots never trailed the entire second set and won it with ease. 
• The third set was up for grabs in the early portion as both teams look to take the lead in the match. Freshman Sara Majerle had four important kills that turned a 13-12 lead into an 18-14 advantage. Bush had many impressive kills throughout the match but one that especially fired up the crowd to make it 20-16. Junior Naomi Mason put the third set on ice. 
• Alma looked into total control in the fourth, Majerle had a run of three straight kills to make it 10-3. An attack error by the Comets was the match deciding point. 

Notables 

• Novak set a career-high for assists with 53. She's been averaging over 40 a match during the Scots winning streak
• Freshman Haley Ullrich (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) tied a career-high 12 kills. When she has double-digit kills, Alma is 4-0 this season.
• Majerle had a game-high 18 kills, 21 digs and 19 points. 
• After losing both matches to Olivet last season, Alma swept the season series 2-0 with the Comets this year. 

Up Next 

The Scots travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. for the Carnegie Mellon Tournament this weekend. Alma faces the host Tartans Friday at 5:00 p.m. and then Saturday plays North Park University (Ill.) at 11:00 a.m. and Arcadia University at 1:00 p.m.