Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 3, Kenyon 2

Sophomore outside hitter Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) and sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Peters (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) led the Ohio Wesleyan offense in a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Kenyon on Wednesday in Gambier.

The Bishops won the match by scores of 25-21, 8-25, 19-25, 29-27, 15-10.

Kenyon put together runs at the beginning and end of the first set.  Lauren Limbach came through with a kill on the first point of the game to kick off a 5-0 Kenyon run.  Ohio Wesleyan came back to even the score at 11 on a block by Murray and freshman middle blocker Ava Kutilek (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier), and the Bishops tied the set at 19 with the help of a kill by junior outside hitter Eliza Richardson (Lakewood), but the Ladies then went on a 6-2 run for the win.

Ohio Wesleyan broke open the second set with an 11-1 run that turned a 6-4 lead into a 17-5 margin, with freshman outside hitter Natalie Buravlov (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) chipping in 2 blocks and a kill.  Murray had a couple of kills down the stretch, including one that ended the set.

The Bishops put together another lengthy run in the third set.  After trailing, 10-8, Ohio Wesleyan outscored Kenyon, 17-3, during the rest of the set to take the lead in the match.  Murray and Peters had 2 kills apiece during that run, while Kutilek added a kill and 3 blocks.

Kenyon rallied from a 12-10 deficit in the fourth set, taking a 13-12 lead on the first of back-to-back kills by Elyse Davidson, and building a 21-16 advantage on a Davidson service ace.  Ohio Wesleyan narrowed the gap to 23-20 on a Buravlov kill, but the Ladies got the final 2 points to force a fifth set.

Kutilek and Murray each had a kill and teamed up for a block as Ohio Wesleyan raced to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set, and the Bishops stretched the margin to 10-3 with 2 more Murray kills and additional kills by freshman middle blocker Claire Solberg (Huron) and Peters.  Murray and Kutilek each had a kill and a block to help the Bishops close out the match.

Murray led the Bishops with 18 kills, while Peters finished with 11.  Freshman setter Olivia Osuna (Orlando, Fla./Phillips) collected 26 assists.  Kutilek had a team-high 7 blocks.  Sophomore defensive specialist Neah White (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) recorded 23 digs.

Box Score