by Hailey de la Vara '21
The Ohio Wesleyan volleyball team completed its spring season without a loss, finishing 7-0.
Included in the season was a sweep of Wittenberg. The win in the first match not only was OWU's first win over the Tigers since Nov. 9, 1996, when the Bishops won the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a 16-14, 16-14, 8-15, 8-15, 16-14 decision in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament title match at Branch Rickey Arena, it also broke a 36-match losing streak to Wittenberg.
The win in the second match completed the sweep, marking the first time that Ohio Wesleyan has defeated Wittenberg more than once in a single season.
Head coach Kirsta Cobb talked about the monumental wins over the Tigers and the team's path to success.
"I think the wins against such a storied program as Wittenberg will help elevate the confidence of this program. It was a momentous win, but built over a long process - a process we are excited to continue working on with this upcoming fall team," Cobb said.
The volleyball team will be losing 5 seniors this year, one of whom completed the season ranking No. 10 in NCAA Division III in assists per set. Senior Molly Jewett was the team's setter who had a strong finish to the season.
"Over the last four years of playing for OWU, we really came together to support each other and become a family during this pandemic and that's what made this season and the win over Wittenberg that much better for me and for the team. I think that looking forward, if the team continues the culture, grit, and passion that we had this season, they will be very successful," Jewett said.
Cobb and the Bishops look to continue their winning streak in the fall with returning standouts such as sophomore Eliza Richardson.
Richardson is the Bishops' outside hitter who broke a school record this season with 21 kills in a win over DePauw, and recorded another landmark performance with 16 and 15 kills in the matches against Wittenberg. She talked about the team's push for this year.
"One of the biggest reasons we were able to do so well this year was because of the high intensity and fun in practice. The future of OWU volleyball is so bright, the athletes on our team and our coaches have worked so hard to make OWU volleyball a respected and established program built for success and I think this culture will continue over the coming years," Richardson said.
Cobb feels grateful for the impact of the seniors, and hopeful for the future of OWU volleyball.
"Now it is time to trust our next group to take the reins and continue on with the work and process. In such a tough and defeating year, I couldn't be prouder of this team and how they stayed undefeated through it all," Cobb said.
