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| Marija Cyvas |
WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster volleyball team logged a season-high 14 blocks to remain in the hunt, but Ohio Wesleyan University utilized a strong attack to ultimately prevail 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20 on Friday evening at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster (11-9, 0-2 North Coast Athletic Conference) only had one block in the first set, but it came at a key juncture as Cyvas and sophomore Kyana Harris tied the frame at six with a double-swat as part of a 6-0 Wooster run that countered a 6-2 start by Ohio Wesleyan (11-4, 4-1 NCAC). During the run, junior Ashley Plassard served up an ace to push Wooster's lead out to 8-6 before back-to-back kills from the Battling Bishops' Kenzee Martin and Jordan Brandt sparked a 4-0 swing for Ohio Wesleyan, which never trailed the remainder of the set.
The Scots' block heated up in the second set as Wooster had four in the frame, including a double one from Cyvas and senior Ksenia Klue that tied it up at 11. Wooster then utilized an Ohio Wesleyan attack error to take the lead before the two teams traded points until 15-14. Then, Plassard and sophomore Erica Roberts came through with a block to push the lead to two at 16-14 before another Bishop attack error pushed the Scots' lead to three. Ohio Wesleyan regrouped with an 8-1 spurt en route to taking the 2-0 lead.
In the third set, junior Eva Stebel floated in a pair of aces in front of the 10-foot line to stake Wooster to a 21-19 lead. After Ohio Wesleyan tied the frame, Cyvas logged the Scots fourth block of the set and Wooster's hitters took over from there with a pair of kills by Klue and one from senior Taylor Mathews to close out the set.
Wooster upped its block output to five in the fourth set, and in fact had three within a four-point swing to take a 15-13 lead. Cyvas led the charge with a hand on all three swats, and the junior was aided by Mathews on the last two. Ohio Wesleyan tied the set at 15 on a block of its own as part of an ultimate go-ahead 5-0 run. Plassard kept the Scots in the frame down the stretch with a pair of kills to pull Wooster within two at 19-17 and 20-18 before a kill by Amelia Richardson capped the thrilling match.
Of note, Wooster's 14 blocks mark the most in a match since the Scots had 18 at Dension University on Oct. 19, 2016, marking the single-match program record for the current scoring era.
Mathews came close to a triple-double with 23 assists, 15 digs, and eight kills, and the senior logged four aces for the second straight match. Overall, Plassard led the way offensively with 10 kills on 18 swings, and the junior backed Cyvas up in the blocking column with five.
Defensively, junior Gabrielle Basinski accumulated 14 digs while Roberts chipped in with four blocks.
Brandt recorded a match-high 17 kills while the Bishops had four players in double-digit digs.
Wooster has a quick turnaround as the Scots travel to Oberlin College (9-8, 0-3 NCAC) for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday.