Delaware, Ohio - Traveling two hours south, the Oberlin College volleyball team fell on the wrong end of the 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-19) scoreline to North Coast opponent Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
First-year Mara Geiger paced the Oberlin attack with six kills while seniors Josie Macdonald and Zeynep Kaya recorded four apiece. Jillian Jendsen added 14 assists while sophomore Genna Gauthier notched six assists and an ace.
Leading the defensive efforts, senior Iris Archibald registered eight digs while Kaya finished with five. Brylie Peters and Evelyn Welton teamed up for a block assist, while Geiger and Alira Allen shared a block assist.
Both teams kept each other close in the opening frame as neither opponent maintained more than a two-point lead. Tied at 13-13, Ohio Wesleyan delivered an 8-1 surge, advancing to a 21-14 lead. Gauthier sent a pass to Kaya for a kill to disrupt the Battling Bishop effort. Unable to halt the consistent Ohio Wesleyan rhythm, the rivals pulled away, clinching the first set.
Trailing 9-5 in the second session, the Crimson and Gold produced a steady effort to reduce the margin to 11-9. The Battling Bishops followed with a 6-1 rally, extending their lead to 17-10. Jendsen sent a pass to Macdonald to dish out a kill, hoping to disrupt the OWU momentum. Capitalizing on their best hitting of the match, a final 8-1 push secured the second set for the opponents.
Ahead by one in the third set, the Battling Bishops posted seven unanswered points to pull ahead 12-4. Oberlin fought to close the gap, coming within five of OWU. Despite that effort, Ohio Wesleyan claimed the sweep.
The Crimson and Gold will travel to Wilmington on Tuesday, November 4, to compete in their final non-conference match of the season. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
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