SEARCY, Ark. — Missouri S&T women's volleyball picked up its fourth sweep of the season, defeating Union University to improve to 7-2. The Miners hit .376 in the match, recording 41 kills to six errors for the team's best hitting percentage since 2023, when they set a program record of .420 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) and Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West) each contributed a pair of kills early in the opening set, helping S&T go up 8-4. They extended that lead with an 11-2 run later, thanks in part to an ace by Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) and a trio of blocks. Union took the next three points before the Miners ended the set on a 6-2 run that featured an ace by Chelsea Plunkett (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette) and a pair of kills by Grae Hunter (Oconomowoc, WI/Oconomowoc), the first of her collegiate career.
After going down 3-0 to start the second set, the Miners rallied to take an 11-6 lead after three consecutive kills by Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton). S&T and Union traded three-point runs, with the Bulldogs using theirs to chip into the deficit and cut the Miners' lead to two at 16-14. The Miners closed the set on a 9-3 run, picking up six kills in the final 12 points to take the set 25-17.
Union grabbed a 7-3 lead at the onset of the third frame, handing S&T its largest deficit of the match early. Zipprich spurred the Miners to a 7-0 run to take a 10-7 lead, contributing two kills and two blocks in that stretch. She later helped the Miners achieve their largest lead of the set with an ace that put them ahead 15-10. Maggie Miller (Gretna, NE/Gretna) added an ace late to make it 22-18 in favor of the Miners, allowing S&T to hold on for the 25-23 set win after kills by Zipprich, Schoenberger, and Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville).
Mining the Numbers
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Six Miners hit above .300 in the match, including a .467 mark from Zipprich, who had eight kills with one error on 15 attempts.
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Zipprich and Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) both recorded career highs in blocks with eight and four, respectively. Zipprich's seven block assists were just two shy of the school record for a three-set match.
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Hunter hit .667 with two kills on three attempts in the first appearance of her collegiate career.
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Miller led the Miners in assists with 19, Adelyn Weiler (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Valle Catholic) led the team in digs with 9, while Wilke paced the hitters again with 9 kills.
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The team totaled seven service aces, led by Zipprich and Plunkett, both of whom had two.
What's Next
The Miners play two more matches at the Harding Invitational Saturday, with Southern Arkansas at 9 a.m. and RV Harding at 2 p.m.
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