Findlay, Ohio- The University of Findlay volleyball team won the quarterfinal of the Great Midwest Volleyball Tournament over Northwood 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17) on Tuesday, Nov. 14. With the single elimination tournament, the fifth-seed Northwood ended their season with a 18-13 record and a 13-6 mark in the conference. Meanwhile, Findlay, the fourth-seed in the tournament, improves to a 23-7 overall record with a 15-4 record in the league.
The Oilers got off to a hot start in the first set, scoring seven of the first ten points. Findlay dominated, eventually taking a thirteen point lead. Northwood held off the set point twice but a kill by sophomore Alana Pohlman put the Oilers ahead 1-0.
After a lackluster second set, the Oilers found their groove again in the third, pulling out a close 28-26 win in the back-and-forth set.
Scoring four of the first five points in the fourth got Findlay off to a good start in the match's final frame. The Oilers continued to grow their lead throughout the set, scoring 14 of the next 17 points, claiming their largest lead at 20-8. Northwood tried to put together a last ditch effort but it proved to be too big of a task as Findlay won the set 25-17.
Findlay hit .306 in the match, picking up 52 kills on 121 attacks while Northwood hit just .182, recording 48 kills on 121 attempts
As has been the case much of the year, Findlay's pair of sophomore middles played well. Alana Pohlman led the team with 15 kills while hitting an impressive .545. She also recorded a season-high seven blocks.
Kenzie Hoelscher finished the night with ten kills and a hitting percentage of .389. She also recorded three aces.
Freshman Hannah Miller had a standout night for the Orange and Black. She recorded 14 kills and hit .316. She also chipped in with eight digs and two blocks.
Running the offense for UF was sophomore Emma White. White recorded 41 assists on the night while recording a team-high five aces. She also recorded a team-high nine digs.
Under the leadership of head coach Wick Colchagoff, Findlay has yet to secure a conference tournament championship. However, in 2017, the Oilers achieved the status of Co-West Division G-MAC Regular Season Champions. Prior to that, they claimed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South regular season title seven times. Their best run at the tournament title was in 2018 where they fell in the G-MAC Tournament Final to Hillsdale. Since then, Findlay has failed to make it past the quarterfinals- until tonight.
The Oilers will now hit the road as they head north to Hillsdale, Mich. to take on the top-seeded Hillsdale College Chargers in the semifinal round of the Great Midwest Volleyball Tournament. That game will tip off at 5:30pm.
