Wooster, Ohio - The Oberlin College volleyball team split a pair of matches, defeating UPitt Greensburg 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-12) before falling to Westminster 3-1 (13-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-23) at the Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic, hosted by Wooster on Friday evening. The Crimson and Gold shift to 2-7 on the season. 

GAME ONE | UPitt Greensburg 

Delivering their strongest offensive performance of the season to date, the Crimson and Gold averaged a .377 hitting percentage, with a match-high .421 in the second set. Commanding the Oberlin attack once again, first-year Mara Geiger paced the way with 14 kills, ten digs, and four aces. Rookie Brylie Peters and senior Josie Macdonald registered double-digit kills with 12 and ten, respectively. 

Sophomore Genna Gauthier served as the primary setter for the first time this season, producing a season-high 25 assists while junior Makela Reid posted her season debut with 12 assists. Senior Iris Archibald defended the backline tallying 17 digs.

Greensburg opened the evening with the first two points of the match but were immediately followed by a strong Oberlin force as the Crimson and Gold notched a seven-point surge. Trailing 19-11, the Bobcats dished out six of the next seven points to decrease their deficit to 20-17. Oberlin continued to pull away until Gauthier sent the ball to Macdonald to dish out a kill, claiming the first set 25-19. 

The Crimson and Gold jumped out to an early 6-1 lead to start the second frame. Greensburg reduced the margin to 8-6 but a four-point run from Oberlin doubled their edge 12-6. The Yeowomen continued to put offensive pressure on the Bobcats, as 11 of their final 13 points recorded were kills securing the second set.

Leading from the first point in the third stanza, Greensburg posed no threat to the Crimson and Gold. Holding a 10-5 edge, Oberlin produced an 8-2 rally to extend their dominating lead to 18-7. Ahead 20-12, a final five-point surge from the Crimson and Gold secured the 3-0 sweep. 

GAME TWO | Westminster

The trio of Peters, Geiger, and Macdonald paced the Oberlin offense, recording 15, 14, and 12 kills, respectively. Senior Jillian Jendsen registered 22 assists while Gauthier totaled 15. Taking charge of the defense, Archibald finished with 14 digs while Jendsen posted 13. 

Continuing their strong offensive momentum from the previous match, the Crimson and Gold hit .423 to dominate the first set of the match. Oberlin jumped out with an unyielding 11-3 lead, seeing kills from Peters, Lucy Goebel, Macdonald, and Geiger. Maintaining their advantage at 16-10, the Crimson and Gold produced a five-point run, extending their edge to 21-10. The Titans were able to post three more points on the board but Oberlin claimed the first set with a dominating 25-13 victory. 

Westminster flipped a switch before the start of the second stanza as the Titans jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. Ahead 9-6, Westminster notched a 7-1 effort to increase the margin to 16-7. The Crimson and Gold tried to regain their rhythm, recording a four-point run but were unable to disrupt the Titans as they finished the second set 25-15.

Holding a slight 12-10 edge in the third set, Westminster posted a four-point run to increase their lead to 16-10. Trailing 21-15, back-to-back kills from Geiger and Peters attempted to reduce the margin but the Titans were able to pull away 25-20. 

The fourth frame saw nailbiting action from both opponents as each rally was met with an equal response. Behind 11-10, Oberlin delivered a four-point run to claim their first lead of the set. Westminster immediately responded to tie the Crimson and Gold 14-14. Trailing 22-19, the Titans registered a 6-1 effort to narrowly win the fourth set 25-23, securing the 3-1 victory. 

Oberlin will travel downtown to face Case Western Reserve on Wednesday, September 17 for a 7 p.m. match. 

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