DELAWARE, Ohio – The Ohio Wesleyan University volleyball team began their NCAC tournament run Tuesday night, welcoming Kenyon to Branch Rickey Arena. The Battling Bishops entered the tournament as the three-seed riding a four-match winning streak, and they kept the momentum going, cruising past six-seed Kenyon in straight sets to secure a spot in the NCAC semifinals.
The Red and Black advance to 15-13 overall, with a 5-2 record in the NCAC. Kenyon concluded its season with an overall record of 6–20 and a 2–5 mark in conference play.
The Bishops fell behind early in the opening set, as Kenyon stormed out to a 9-5 lead that later extended to 19-15. However, the Bishops showed the same resilience that defined their regular season, clawing back with a 10-4 run to close out the set, 25-23.
Set two proved to be another battle early, with the Red and Black trailing the Owls 13-12 and looking to break through. Breaking through would be an understatement, as OWU strung together seven unanswered points and quickly took control of the set. The Bishops never wavered, closing out the set 25-17.
With victory in sight, the Bishops controlled the third set from start to finish. OWU built an early 5-1 advantage that grew to 20-12, ultimately carrying the team to a 25-13 set win and a sweep.
THE NUMBERS
Ohio Wesleyan recorded 46 kills.
Mason Campbell led the way with a career-high 17, followed by
Megan Lantis with nine, and
Lily Bechina with six.
The Red and Black tallied eight service aces, with
Lexi Manly and
Avery Krause making three and two, respectively.
On the defensive end, the Bishops made six blocks.
Jordanne Shannon paced the team with three block assists.
Anna Kenealy and
Abby Nulph recorded two each.
Lily Bechina continued to anchor the offense, leading the Bishops in setting with 34 assists.
Nine Bishops registered a dig in the contest, with the team totaling 53 on the night.
Bella Guzzetta led the way once again with 13. Krause contributed 11, while Bechina added eight.
UP NEXT
The Battling Bishops head to Wittenberg on Friday to take on two-seed John Carroll, with action set to begin at 5 p.m.
