Ksenia Klue

The College of Wooster volleyball team opened its 2014 season against very strong competition, including Defiance College and Thomas More College – last year's regular season champions in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and Presidents' Athletic Conference, respectively – and came away with some competitive results while gaining much-needed experience at the Ohio Northern Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Ada, Ohio.

The Fighting Scots caught a Defiance squad that posted a 23-6 record last season off guard in their opening match, winning the first set 29-27, before coming up short 25-17, 25-20, and 25-22 over the next three sets. That was the story of the weekend, as Wooster scored at least 17 points in all but one set (12-of-13), but ultimately was defeated by Defiance, Thomas More (25-18, 25-10, 25-17), Thiel College (25-19, 25-23, 25-23) and host Ohio Northern University (25-19, 25-19, 25-20).

Among Wooster's highlights were four first-years that made significant contributions. Ksenia Klue led the team with 28 kills to go alongside her matching 28 digs, while Savannah Moore was right there with her totaling 25 kills and 40 digs. Fellow newcomers Mayia Karayianni and Sydney Virgin also made an impact, especially in the Scots' fourth match against Ohio Northern, where Karayianni (6 kills) and Virgin (18 assists) had the best performances of their young careers.

In addition, sophomore Lydia Webster picked up where she left off last season with 26 kills and eight total blocks, including 10 kills against Thiel. Her teammates on the front row were also productive, as Anna Emmick (18 kills, 7 blocks) and Megan Mey (12 kills, 3 blocks) rounded out a very balanced Wooster attack.

Brittany Nicholson shared setting duties with Virgin and totaled 42 assists, with 18 coming in the four-setter with Defiance. Defensively, the team's lone senior Rachel Sell anchored the back row with a team-best 53 digs, while Kaitlin Banko and Laura Sherer saw action as defensive specialists.

The Scots will host their home opener this week when they welcome Muskingum University to Timken Gymnasium on Wednesday at 7 p.m.