Granville, Ohio - The Denison women's volleyball team ended a long Saturday with a thrilling five-set win, as the Big Red split its final tri-match of the season in the Livingston Gymnasium. The Big Red opened the day by dropping a four-set conference matchup with Ohio Wesleyan, then rebounded with a 3-2 win over Case Western Reserve in the night cap, finishing 5-12 overall and 0-2 in NCAC play. In the third set of the Case Western match, Denison's
Claire Hamilton became the eighth player in program history to record her 1000th career kill.
Match 1 | Denison 1-3 Ohio Wesleyan
In the first set, Denison opened strong by taking the first four points getting a pair of early service aces from
Whitley Metz to spark the team. However, Ohio Wesleyan responded, tying the set at seven and eventually pushing in front 11-9. The Battling Bishops never looked back after taking the lead, holding it for the remainder of the set despite pressure from the Big Red and clinching 25-22. The Big Red found their rhythm in the second set, executing a 6-0 run led by
Whitley Metz's strong serving that saw the team take a 7-1 lead.
Devon Moore and
Gabrielle Wigglesworth played strong in the game on the attack and the block, helping the home side level the match in a decisive 25-13 victory.
The third set saw momentum shift to Ohio Wesleyan, as the Battling Bishops held a narrow lead throughout a back-and-forth game. Denison tied the score at 22-22 after a four-point run fueled by
Claire Hamilton and
Kate Sicklick attacks. Despite their efforts, Ohio Wesleyan edged ahead, winning the set 30-28 with a kill from Natalie Dieball and a Denison attack error. Denison fought off four set points before dropping the third set. In the fourth set, Denison led 23-18 and looked prime to take the game to a fifth, but Ohio Wesleyan fought back to tie it at 24-24, closing the match with a 27-25 set win.
Devon Moore was a standout for Denison, leading with 19 kills and 21 points, along with six digs and three total blocks. Metz contributed significantly with 21 digs, two aces, and three assists.
Gabrielle Wigglesworth recorded nine total blocks and four kills, while
Amelia Kurtz added 26 assists, six digs, and one service ace.
Match 2 | Denison 3-2 Case Western
Denison used their rest wisely, and started the night cap on a high note, as they overcame an early 7-2 deficit in the first set to come from behind and take the opening game 25-23 over the fatigued Spartans squad. Denison had key contributions from
Devon Moore,
Claire Hamilton, and
Emily Monachino to rally from behind, while
Amelia Kurtz ended the set with a service ace. The second set featured a surge from the Big Red, scoring four points after CWRU equalized at 12-12, highlighted by two blocks from
Gabrielle Wigglesworth and a kill from
Devon Moore. After grabbing the 16-12 lead, the Big Red failed to look back, closing out set two with a runaway 25-21 victory.
In the third set, Denison initially led 10-4, but CWRU mounted a comeback, going on a 6-0 run to tie the set and eventually win 25-21. The fourth set again saw Denison take an early lead, but CWRU once again got hot at the right moments, using a 5-0 run to take the lead as they won convincingly 25-13, tying the match 2-2.
In the decisive fifth set, Denison made the first move to pull ahead after obtaining 5-4 lead, scoring four straight points on
Ryan Kotalik's serve to take control at 9-4.
Maeve Perry and
Devon Moore scored kills in the run to give their team the lead. Despite a brief comeback from the Spartans that saw the lead shrink to two at 11-9, the Big Red secured the match with a final kill from
Emily Monachino, winning the set 15-10.
Moore led the way again with 17 kills and 17.5 points, while Hamilton marked her career milestone, surpassing 1,000 career kills with 15 kills in the match.
Claire Hamilton's 21 kills on the day allowed her to become the eighth player in Denison history with 1000 career kills as she hit the milestone in the third set against CWRU, and the first since Leah Reinfranck '18 accomplished the feat. The senior from Lower Merion, Pa., ended the day with 1006 career kills.
Amelia Kurtz tallied 28 assists, 10 digs, and a service ace to log her first double-double of the season, and Kotalik set a season-high with 19 digs.
Emily Monachino finished with 10 kills, Maeve Berry had six total blocks,
Katelyn Chiu had 25 assists, and Whitely Metz had 14 digs.
UP NEXT: The Big Red volleyball team will host John Carroll University on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m. The match will serve as the team's senior day, with festiviites taking place to honor the senior class prior to the match.
