Spartans Sweep Hiram to Open CWRU Quad

Spartans Sweep Hiram to Open CWRU Quad

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The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team opened its two-day quad with a sweep of Hiram College 25-21, 27-25, 25-12 on Friday night inside Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

The Spartans evened their overall record at 3-3, while the Terriers dropped to 4-3 in 2026.

Stats and Standouts

  • First-year Maya Zarow led the Spartan attack with 12 kills and a .545 hitting percentage
  • First-year Ava Felgar added eight kills, two service aces, and four digs
  • Senior Emily Goodpaster and junior Madeline Halter each had six digs with Goodpaster putting down six kills and Halter contributing five
  • Senior Avery Basinger had a team-high 19 assists to go along with six digs, a kill, and a service ace
  • First-year Piper Starling added 11 assists, six digs, and two service aces
  • Junior Sophia Datto led the squad with 15 digs

First Set (25-21)

  • After dropping the first point, CWRU won the next six on the service of Felgar to take an early lead
  • Hiram cut the deficit to one, 9-8, before kills by Goodpaster and Halter and an ace by Basinger increased the Spartan advantage to four
  • Case Western Reserve led by five, 17-12, on a kill by Zarow before Hiram used a 4-1 run to make the score 18-16
  • The Terriers brought the deficit down to one, 22-21, on a service error
  • However, a kill by Zarow, Hiram ball handling error, and ace by Felgar clinched the set for CWRU

Second Set (27-25)

  • The Spartans led by five early in the second stanza, taking a 10-5 advantage on a block by Felgar and Goodpaster
  • Hiram cut the deficit to four, but CWRU used a 9-3 run to take a nine-point lead near the end of the set
  • Trailing 22-13, Hiram mounted a comeback, scoring four of the next five points
  • The visitors fought off six set points, tied the score at 24, and took a 25-24 lead on a service ace
  • Facing the possibility of losing the set, the Spartans responded
  • Zarow put down a kill, followed quickly by Goodpaster
  • Senior Sude Naz Item, serving for the chance to clinch the set, secured an ace to put CWRU ahead 2-0

Third Set (25-12)

  • Riding the momentum of the second set win, the hosts won eight of the first nine points, including five on the service of Starling
  • Hiram closed the gap to four, 14-10, before the Spartans won nine consecutive rallies to take a commanding 13-point edge
  • Zarow had four kills during the run with the Terriers adding four attacking errors
  • Four points later, a Hiram service error clinched the home victory for the Spartans

Spartan Notes

  • The Spartans improved to 10-14 against Hiram since 2002, winning their fifth consecutive match in the series
  • Zarow has recorded at least 10 kills in every match of the season, totaling 78 across 21 sets
  • Case Western Reserve had a .267 hitting percentage in the match while holding Hiram to a .091 hitting percentage
  • The win was the first this season at home for the Spartans and their second sweep of the campaign