Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 3, Oberlin 1

Freshman middle blocker Claire Solberg (Huron) set a school record and junior outside hitter Eliza Richardson (Lakewood) led the Ohio Wesleyan offense as the Bishops defeated Oberlin in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The Bishops won the match by scores of 25-19, 24-26, 25-20, 25-16.

Ohio Wesleyan used a 6-0 run to get some distance in the opening set, with Solberg contributing a kill and a block, Richardson adding a kill, and freshman outside hitter Natalie Buravlov (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) zipping 3 service aces to help turn a 7-6 lead into a 13-6 cushion.  The Bishops raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set behind kills by Richardson, Buravlov, and sophomore outside hitter Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), and reeled off 7 straight points that included 2 kills and a block by senior right-side hitter Hannah Williams (Columbus/Bishop Ready) on the way to a 13-7 lead.  Oberlin rallied to tie the score at 22 on a block by Natasha Radic and Natalie Dufour, but the Bishops responded with a Buravlov kill and a block by Richardson and Solberg to move to set point.  Oberlin then scored the next 4 points, with Radic recording back-to-back kills to close out the set and even the match at 1-1.

The third set saw the Bishops break a 12-12 tie with a 5-1 burst that featured a pair of kills and a block by Buravlov before Richardson added a pair of kills down the stretch and Murray came through with a set-ending kill to give Ohio Wesleyan a 2-1 lead.  Richardson then highlighted a set-opening 8-1 run with 4 service aces, with freshman middle hitter Ava Kutilek (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) providing 2 kills during that run.  Kills by Buravlov, sophomore setter Abby Thierauf (Cincinnati/Milford), and Solberg extended the Bishop lead to 16-4, and Richardson added 3 more kills as Ohio Wesleyan closed out the set and the match.

Solberg finished with 11 block assists, breaking the school record of 10 in a 4-set match compiled by Meigan Day against Allegheny on Sept. 22, 2012.

Richardson led the Bishops with 12 kills and 7 service aces, the latter figure tying for fourth place on the Bishop single-match list.  Buravlov finished with 10 kills and Murray added 9 more.  Thierauf collected 32 assists.  Sophomore defensive specialist Alex Disbro (Guilford, Ind./East Central) had a team-high 18 digs.

Box Score