Hammond, Ind.- The University of Findlay's volleyball team traveled to the 18th Annual Midwest Region Crossover, which features 38 teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC), and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Day one, Friday Oct. 16, the Oilers faced the Michigan Tech Huskies before ending the day with the 22nd-ranked Indianapolis Greyhounds. Findlay split the matches, falling against the Huskies and later knocking off the Greyhounds.
Game One vs. Michigan Tech (L 3-0)
Findlay, which entered the match with a 10-7 overall record and a 7-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play, battled throughout the contest but was unable to overcome Michigan Tech's offensive efficiency. The Huskies finished the match hitting .250 as a team, compared to .158 for the Oilers.
Senior
Hannah Miller led the Findlay offense with 13 kills and nine digs.
Lauren Foerster added 11 kills while hitting an efficient .409, along with three total blocks.
Stephanie Smith contributed six kills and a team-high four service aces.
At setter,
Zoya Winkelfoos recorded 20 assists, one service ace, and six digs, while
Kirsten Bomholt added 15 assists and four digs.
Claire Schoenberger paced the defensive effort with 13 digs.
The Oilers kept each set competitive, opening with 21 points in the first before narrowly dropping the second and third sets by identical 25-23 scores. However, Michigan Tech's .250 hitting percentage and balanced offensive attack proved to be the difference. With the loss, Findlay moves to 10-8 overall and 7-2 in G-MAC play.
Game Two vs. #22 Indianapolis (W 3-0)
In a rematch of the 2025 Midwest Regional Semifinal, the Oilers came out on top this time, sweeping the Greyhounds 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23). With the victory, Findlay improves to 11-8 overall, while nationally ranked Indianapolis drops to 18-3.
The Oilers and Greyhounds traded points to open the first set before Findlay used a 6-2 run to build a 17-13 lead. The Oilers maintained a four-point advantage until Indianapolis put together a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to 22-20. Findlay responded with a strong finish, closing out the set with three straight points. Senior
Lauren Foerster recorded a kill, senior
Hannah Miller served an ace, and the Oilers forced an attack error to secure the 25-21 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Findlay carried its momentum into the second set, as neither team managed to build a lead of more than two points. The tightly contested frame featured 17 ties, with the final deadlock coming at 23-23. An Indianapolis attack error followed by a kill from senior
Lauren Foerster gave the Oilers back-to-back points to close out the set with a 25-23 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle, but the Oilers once again found a way to come out on top. Junior
Stephanie Smith delivered the decisive point, securing a 25-23 win in the third set to complete the sweep and seal Findlay's victory.
Findlay hit .299 as a team, recording 49 kills while committing just 14 errors. Indianapolis finished with 44 kills and 14 errors for a .261 hitting percentage.
Lauren Foerster led the Oilers with 13 kills while hitting .500, adding two blocks and two digs.
Hannah Miller also reached double-digit kills, finishing with 11 while hitting .240. She added 14 digs and two service aces in the win.
Junior
Stephanie Smith also reached double-digit kills, recording 11 while hitting .357, while junior
Lilly Barhorst contributed nine kills.
Seniors
Zoya Winkelfoos and
Kirsten Bomholt orchestrated the offense, combining for 41 assists. Winkelfoos led the way with 22, while Bomholt added 19.
Defensively, sophomore
Victoria Mescher paced the Oilers with four blocks, while freshman
Claire Schoenberger led the team with 15 digs.
The Oilers will be back in action tomorrow, Oct. 17 as they take on Northern Michigan at 2pm CT, 3pm ET.
