WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- After dropping its 2012 opener to eighth-ranked Hope on Friday at the Capital/Otterbein Tournament, the Mount Union volleyball team defeated Thomas More (Ky.) in the nightcap to improve to 1-1.

Hope def. Mount Union, 3-1 (25-17, 27-25, 22-25, 25-15)

Trailing 11-9 in the first set, Mount Union saw its opponent rattle off eight of the next 11 points to take a commanding 19-12 lead.  The Flying Dutch would take the opener 25-17.

In the second, Hope continued its stellar play over the Raiders and took a 12-6 advantage.  Leading 22-15 late in the second, it appeared the Flying Dutch were well on its way to a two-set lead.  But Mount Union slowly chipped away at the lead.  Trailing 24-23, the Raiders pulled even on an attack error by Hope's Jenna Grasmeyer.  

With the score knotted at 25, Grasmeyer redeemed herself with back-to-back kills to put the Raiders away and give her team a 2-0 lead.  

Down 13-10 in the third, Mount Union was able to pull within one after a kill by senior Dee Glass (Medina/Medina).  Then, freshmen Mary Tout (North Royalton/North Royalton) and Kara Berger (Mentor/Mentor) blocked a Hope attack to knot the score at 15.  The Raiders would take the lead on the next point, courtesy of a Berger kill.

Mount Union extended its lead to 20-16 thanks to a kill by sophomore Mel Patterson (Mentor/Lake Catholic) and a service ace by fellow sophomore Lauren Mastroine (Orrville/Orrville).  A key block by sophomore Nicole Snyder (Mentor/Lake Catholic) kept the Flying Dutch from drawing within two and put the Raiders up 22-18.

The Raiders finally put away Hope in the third set thanks to back-to-back kills by junior Taylor Webb (Geneva/Geneva).  The 25-22 victory sent the match to a fourth set.

But in the fourth, Hope returned to its first-set form, winning the set easily, 25-15.  The Flying Dutch never trailed in the set and improved to 1-0 in 2012.

Mount Union Stat Leaders
KILLS: Mel Patterson (10), Taylor Webb (9)
ASSISTS: Brittany Woodard (20), Sarah Schleich (15)
DIGS: Kristen Gromes (17), Nicole Snyder (15)

Mount Union def. Thomas More, 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 25-8)

In the night's second match, the Raiders knocked off a feisty Thomas More squad.

Down, 16-14 in the first, Mount Union reeled off four straight points, capped by back-to-back Webb kills.  Then, with the Raiders leading 22-17, Snyder delivered two straight service aces to give her team its largest lead of the set.  Mount Union would go on to win the opening set 25-18.

In the second set, the Raiders jumped out to a 7-2 lead and led by as many as 14 (19-5) before Thomas More slowly mounted a comeback.  The Saints went on a 14-3 run to cut the Mount Union lead to just three (22-19) before a critical Thomas More passing error halted the run.  Mount Union would take the set 25-22 and a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Trailing 10-9 in the third set, Thomas More scored four straight points to take a 13-10 lead.  The resilient Saints would later push the lead to seven three times, eventually forcing a fourth set with a 25-18 win.

The third-set loss did not faze the Raiders, however.  Mount Union immediately jumped out to a 5-0 lead and grabbed an 11-2 advantage thanks to two aces by Snyder.  Down 12-3, Thomas More rallied off five straight points to pull within four but would not get any closer.  The Raiders took the next 13 points and cruised to a 25-8 fourth-set victory.  

The 3-1 win over Thomas More (0-2) marked Mount Union's first of the season.  The Raiders (1-1) finish off the Capital/Otterbein Tournament against third-ranked Calvin and Bethany tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively. 

Mount Union Stat Leaders
KILLS: Taylor Webb (13), Mel Patterson (9)
ASSISTS: Brittany Woodard (21), Sarah Schleich (12)
DIGS: Lauren Mastroine (20), Kristen Gromes (17)