Syoen reaches 1,000 assists against No. 15 MU

By Press release submission

Oct 21, 2022

Grace's volleyball team came up short while playing at No. 15 Marian on Friday night.

The Lady Lancers lost in three sets to the high-powered attack of the Knights (19-3, 11-3 Crossroads League). Marian had 16 more kills and eight fewer attack errors in the sweep.

Morgan Syoen recorded a personal highlight during the evening. The sophomore reached the 1,000 career assist plateau, and she finished with 18 assists in the match.

Marian quickly took control of the first set, winning six of the first seven points. The Knights wasted little time pushing the lead to eight and then rolled away to a 12-point win.

The Lady Lancers seemed determined to even the match in the second set. Strong serving from Syoen helped propel Grace to a 6-0 run.

Grace led 12-6, but Marian came racing back with a 6-1 run of their own. The Knights tied the score at 14 and bounced ahead at 16-15.

Back-to-back kills from Cassadi Colbert kept Grace within range as Grace trailed by just one at 19-18.

But the Knights closed the door on another run, pulling away for a 25-20 win. Marian ended the set with consecutive block points.

In the third set, early aces from McKenzie Stakely and Syoen helped Grace remain tied at 9-9. But Marian's offense produced five quick kills to gain separation, and the Knights pushed their lead to eight.

Grace was unable to recover after a timeout and fell 25-15 to end the match.

Colbert was Grace's best source of offense, producing eight kills on a .200 percentage. Syoen had a near double-double with 18 assists and seven digs.

Katie Swanson tallied six kills and two block assists, and Alisha Leffring had five kills. Liz Schmidt tied for match honors with 16 digs, and Grace Erwin tallied eight digs.

The Lady Lancers return home on Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup with Spring Arbor.