Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College volleyball team went tooth-and-nail with the Case Western Reserve University Spartans on Wednesday night at Philips Gym, but in the end the vistors were able to escape town with a dramatic five-set victory.
Oberlin took the first and third sets, winning by the scores of 25-19 and 25-20, but it was inconsistent play that allowed Case to win sets two, four, and five by the scores of 25-20, 25-22, and 15-13.
The Yeowomen trailed 11-7 in the race to 15 in the fifth set, and fought all the way back to make 14-13. Following, a well-placed timeout by the Spartans, Anna Jaskoviak would send her team home happy with a match-ending kill.
Sophomore
Maura Gibbs lead the Yeowomen attack with a career-high 26 kills as she hit .350 with just five errors on 60 swings. Classmate
Lexi Mitchell also matched a career-best with 21 send-downs in the setback and set a new career-high with 22 digs to lead the team.
In the middle, senior
Dana Thomas added 11 kills to go along with a team-high four aces and four blocks.
Samantha Lam had the Yeowomen offense in rhythm as she set a new-career high with 59 assists.
In the second set, Oberlin trailed 19-10, but put the pressure back onto the Spartans with a 10-3 run that featured four kills by Mitchell. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to complete the comeback as Case held on for the five-point victory.
It was a similar fate in the Spartans' fourth-set victory as they built a 23-16 advantage before Oberlin came roaring back. Three kills from Gibbs, an ace from
Emily Kelkar, and a finish from Thomas made it 24-22 before Katie Kaminski ended the game to even the match at 2-2.
Oberlin's fifth-set comeback featured two kills from Gibbs and a Spartans' attack error that cut the cushion down to one, but the Yeowomen were never able get over the top.
Kelkar added 21 digs towards the team total of 93, while Lam and Gibbs chipped in with 14 and 13, respectively.
Oberlin out-hit the Spartans .251 to .182, finishing the match with 75 kills compared to the Spartans' 46.
The Yeowomen dropped back to 9-6 with the loss while Case Western moved to 11-6.
Oberlin returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it plays host to Ohio Wesleyan University a 1 p.m.
