OSHKOSH, Wis. – The University of Chicago volleyball team earned their first top 25 win on Friday afternoon, outlasting a tough Hope College squad in a five-set thriller at the Kolf Sports Center.

With the win, the Maroons improved to 4-3 on the season, while the nationally-ranked No.8 Flying Dutch fell to 4-2.

UChicago came out firing, taking the first two sets behind a dynamic offense and sharp serving. Senior outside hitter Diya Mishra powered the Maroons early, posting several timely kills to build momentum. Chicago capitalized on Hope's early errors to get the 25-21 win in set one and 25-22 win in set two. Mishra finished with a match-high 21 kills and 17 digs while hitting .275 on the afternoon.

Setter Hillary Cheung guided the offense with 25 assists and nine digs, while Adelee Kaiton continued her strong start to the year with 16 kills, 14 digs, and three service aces. As a team, UChicago hit .273 across the opening two sets and kept Hope off balance with aggressive serving. The Maroons collected five of their total 10 aces in those first two sets. 

Hope responded with a surge in the middle sets, fueled by an improved attack offense. The Flying Dutch hit .250 in the third and limited UChicago to just .028, cutting the Maroons' lead in half. They then edged out a tight fourth set to force a decisive fifth.

When it came down to the wire, UChicago regained control. 

The Maroons raced out to an early 4-0 lead behind a kill from Mishra and three back-to-back aces to ignite their fire in the fifth. Just when the Flying Dutch closed the margian to four again, Kaiton answered with a kill to help the Maroons closeout the match on a 5-2 run. It's no surprise for the final point, Diya Mishra recorded the kill for Chicago. Thalita Marangon and Gabi Spellings combined for 12 kills and two blocks. Ellie Maxwell added 23 assists and six kills, helping UChicago hit .333 in the fifth while holding Hope to just .105.

UChicago finished the match with a 62–47 edge in kills and tallied 87 digs as a team.

Up Next
The Maroons return to action Saturday morning at 11 a.m. taking on No.5 La Verne. Chicago will then play host, No. 3 UW-Oshkosh, at 3 p.m. to complete their time in Wisconsin.