Box Score vs. Hiram l Box Score vs. Thiel

Oct. 11 - The Oberlin College Women's Volleyball team made history today in their hard-fought five set victory over Hiram College.  Winning the odd numbered sets (25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13), Oberlin won their third conference game against their third different conference opponent this year and improved their conference record to 3-6. 

The victory is notable for several reasons, the first of which has to be that before today Oberlin had not won a single game against Hiram this century, much less won a match.  The win over Hiram adds the Terriers to the list of conference foes defeated by the Yeowomen this season, a list which already includes Kenyon and Earlham.  This also marks the first time since the calendars flipped to 2000 that the Volleyball program has achieved that feat as well.

In the match Oberlin received 36 kills from Anna Frackman and Amanda Wysk (on only 8 errors), 98 total digs, and their hitters fired balls across the net at a clip higher than .300.  Head Coach Carey Cavanaugh said, "Maggie Jacobson and Sara Blankemeyer played very well and Rita Kaplon made some smart decisions for us.  But it is really impossible to name one person as a standout in this match.  We handled adversity well, stayed focused, and everyone executed their role to the best of their ability, this was a total team victory."

What makes this win even more impressive is that the squad won this important conference game with 10 of Oberlin's 13 players listed as first or second year players.  Even with core team members as underclassmen Cavanaugh added, "I was really proud at how we were able to keep our poise and rebound after Friday's match".  The October schedule sets up nicely for Oberlin as they will be looking for a season sweep at Kenyon on October 15; after which Oberlin will play at home in three of their next four contests.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Oberlin dropped a four-set match against Thiel College, 13-25, 25-23, 20-25, 13-25.  Despite the loss Oberlin was able to improve upon an early season sweep at the hands of Thiel.  Trying several different lineups, Cavanaugh was able to see some positive things from different players in new positions.

Overall the day was a complete success for a team that played with greater energy and focus than Oberlin has displayed in other matches this season.  After also making some history, Oberlin will look to continue their strong and balanced team play in their upcoming stretch of five conference matches in ten days and seven matches in their next eleven days.