Breaking a Five-Game Skid on the Road
Franklin women’s volleyball had dropped five consecutive meetings against Manchester and eight of their last nine encounters. That historical slide hit a sharp halt on a Wednesday night in a loud gymnasium where the Grizzlies turned the tide with a four-set victory, 25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19.
The road win brings Franklin’s record to 19-5 overall and 4-2 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
“We always know Manchester is going to be a loud, difficult environment, and the team responded incredibly,” Griz coach Dillon Taylor said. “Step one in a huge week for this team.”
Griz coach Dillon Taylor pointed to the atmosphere as a primary hurdle his squad had to clear. McKenzie Schroeder immediately set the physical tone for the visitors, hammering kills on the opening two points and claiming three of the first five.
How the Sets Unfolded Point by Point
Manchester briefly grabbed control in the opening frame, taking a 16-15 lead before Franklin fired back with six points out of the next eight to pull ahead 21-18. Even though the Spartans clawed back to knot the score at 23-23, back-to-back errors from the hosts handed the opening set to the Grizzlies.
The second set proved even tighter, sitting deadlocked at 21-21 until Franklin closed the door with four straight points. Leah Middleton, Schroeder, and setter Brionna Linkel delivered the final three kills of that run to secure a 25-21 margin.
Manchester fell behind 9-5 to start the fourth set. Yet the fourth set saw Franklin erase a 9-5 deficit, surging ahead at 17-16 behind consecutive kills from Middleton. The closing stretch belonged entirely to the visitors, who broke an 18-18 tie by scoring seven of the last eight points, capped off by freshman Avery Smith driving home kills on the final two points.
Schroeder Leads Attack as Franklin Prepares to Host Mount St. Joseph
Schroeder led the attack with 18 kills, while Middleton added 12 and Smith contributed 10. Linkel orchestrated the offense with 27 assists, supplemented by Addie Smith’s 17 assists, and Lily Gena anchored the back row with 11 digs.
Taylor acknowledged that Schroeder’s performance exceeded expectations, though the team’s serve receive and passing kept the entire rotation in system throughout the night. Attention now turns swiftly toward the next challenge on the schedule.
Franklin returns to the court for a Friday night home match on October 30, 2026, hosting Mount St. Joseph at 7 PM. Mount St. Joseph sits closely packed with the Grizzlies in the conference standings, making composure and game-by-game focus essential as the conference slate intensifies.
