Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 3, Wooster 1
Junior outside hitter Eliza Richardson (Lakewood), sophomore outside hitter Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), and sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Peters (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) each reached double figures in kills to lead a balanced Ohio Wesleyan offense as the Bishops defeated Wooster in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Friday at Branch Rickey Arena.
The Bishops won the match by scores of 25-20, 10-25, 25-21, 25-23.
Ohio Wesleyan broke a 19-19 tie with 4 straight points in the opening set, getting kills from freshman middle hitter Claire Solberg (Huron), Murray, and sophomore setter Abby Thierauf (Cincinnati/Milford) before kills by Peters and Richardson ended the set. Wooster came back in the second set and raced to an 8-1 lead as Hayley Nash zipped a pair of service aces and added a kill, and the Scots pulled away for the win to even the match.
It was the Bishops' turn to assemble an early run in the third set, with Peters and Richardson recording kills during a 5-0 burst to open the set. Ohio Wesleyan took a 21-11 lead on a Peters kill, but Wooster rallied behind 3 Katie Billetdeaux kills and 2 more by Nash to pull within 24-21 before Richardson delivered a kill to give Ohio Wesleyan a 2-1 lead. Wooster took a 7-2 lead in the fourth set as Billetdeaux recorded a pair of kills, but the Bishops went on a 7-0 run that included back-to-back service aces from sophomore defensive specialist Alex Disbro (Guilford, Ind./East Central) to take a 12-10 lead. Ohio Wesleyan still led, 20-18, after a Peters kill, and the teams traded points after that, with the Bishops closing out the set and the match.
Richardson led the Bishops with 15 kills, while Murray and Peters added 10 apiece. Freshman setter Olivia Osuna (Orlando, Fla./Phillips) had 20 assists and Thierauf contributed 13 assists. Peters and freshman middle hitter Ava Kutilek (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) recorded 3 blocks apiece. Sophomore defensive specialist Neah White (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) had 18 digs.
Box Score
