Granville, Ohio - The Denison women's volleyball team won a back and forth match on Wednesday night, defeating the Oberlin College Yeowomen 3-2. The Big Red won sets two and four to force a fifth set, winning the deciding set by a commanding 15-5 count. Denison's record improves to 3-3 in the NCAC, as the overall season mark jumps to 9-14.
A 4-0 run early in the first set put the Big Red in a hole against the Yeowomen, as Oberlin soared in front 8-5 through 13 rallies.
Claire Hamilton scored a kill in a two-point spurt that paused the run, but Oberlin continued to roll as they rattled off four more points consecutively. Oberlin would gradually win the races to 15 and 20 points, increasing their lead in the set to as many as seven. A
Kate Sicklick kill late in the set would not be enough to undo the Oberlin momentum, as the Yeowomen took the first game 25-18.
Oberlin looked in line to take the second set as they scored a 7-1 run to open set two, but a
Maeve Perry kill got the Big Red on track, as they responded with six unanswered to tie the set. A Brylie Peters kill allowed the Yeowomen to pause the run, but an error allowed Denison to regain the momentum. The Big Red scored four straight to take an 11-8 lead. After taking control, Denison continued to surge ahead, getting a pair of service aces from Ameila Kurtz in a 9-0 run that pushed the advantage to 10. Leading 21-11, the Big Red scored kills from Perry and
Devon Moore in their closing four-point run, taking set two 25-12.
Denison rode hot into the third set and started strong as they built a 5-2 lead, but the run built on Oberlin errors was not sustainable, as the visitors clawed in front 9-5 on a 7-0 run. Denison would get within one as they looked to rally, while two
Claire Hamilton kills later tied the set at 14, but the momentum would not stay on the Big Red side of the net. Oberlin pushed ahead 18-16, expanding their lead to four as they won the race to 20.
Emily Monachino and
Gabrielle Wigglesworth rallied Denison as they trailed 23-19, getting the team within two, but a service error would end the spree, as Oberlin went on to win 25-21.
The Big Red again had to come from behind as the match moved into the fourth set, as they yielded the first five points of the night. A
Whitley Metz service ace helped spark a comeback, while another pair of aces from
Amelia Kurtz in a 4-0 run gave Denison a 10-9 edge. Denison would not surrender the lead after the run, pushing their grasp on the set to four by the technical timeout, with Metz serving two more aces. A point from
Katelyn Chiu at the service line gave Denison a 17-12 hold, and allowed the home team to remain in control, as Sicklick finished off the game 25-19, forcing a fifth set.
In the final set, Denison took control from the opening serve, as Wigglesworth killed the first point on an overpass, and
Ryan Kotalik served an ace in an beginning 3-0 run. Two kills from Perry headlined the next three-point spring, while two kills and an ace highlighted the next run. Denison's hot start gave them a 9-2 lead, which gradually turned into a 13-3 lead after two Hamilton kills. Hamilton would finish off the set after Oberlin scored two points, as the senior ended the win with consecutive kills, allowing Denison to take the match in five sets behind the 15-5 third set win.
Denison finished the match with 55 kills and a .228 team hitting percentage, while recording a season-best 18 service aces. The team ace count is a season-high by three, and is the eighth time that Denison has recorded 10 or more aces in a match.
Individually,
Claire Hamilton finished with a team-high 12 kills and .310 hitting percentage, while
Maeve Perry and
Emily Monachino each had 13.
Amelia Kurtz had 24 assists and a team-high five service aces, while
Katelyn Chiu finished with a double-double of 21 assists and 14 digs, while adding four aces.
Whitley Metz led Denison with 18 digs and four aces, while
Ryan Kotalik and
Devon Moore each had 10 digs. Kotalik had three aces, and
Kate Sicklick and
Devon Moore each had one while recording eight kills each.
Up Next: Denison will conclude NCAC play on Friday night, October 30, when they travel to Kenyon for a 7:00 p.m. match.
