WOOSTER, Ohio – There certainly wasn't a shortage of energy on Wednesday evening at Timken Gymnasium, although The College of Wooster volleyball team dropped a razor-thin 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 match against John Carroll University in what marked the home opener for the Fighting Scots.
Wooster's (0-5) best efforts came in the third set, during which first-year Sydney Fitzcharles tallied 11 of her match-high 21 digs. That helped the Scots stay neck-to-neck with the Blue Streaks (4-1), as the final frame featured eight ties and four lead changes. Senior Cami Miller turned the tide in Wooster's favor with a go-ahead kill at 9-8, and the Scots stayed in the driver's seat until the Blue Streaks' Sarah Calabrese and Brooke Hjerpe connected on two kills each down the stretch. In fact, Wooster's lead climbed to three as late as 19-16 when first-year Emily Gail's attack attempt found hardwood on John Carroll's side of the floor.
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| First-year Hayley Nash logged a double-double on the night. Five of her match-high 14 kills came in the second set. |
A set prior, Wooster tied the score four times after John Carroll hit 20 points. First-year Hayley Nash heated up at that point with a trio of kills, including one that saved set point. The Scots' rookie had the hot hand in the frame with five kills on 12 swings with no miscues in the error column. Alas, Hjerpe's kill closed out the set in favor of John Carroll.
Wooster found itself down 22-18 in the opening set before taking advantage of three John Carroll errors, plus a kill from sophomore Katie Billetdeaux. John Carroll's Kailee Herbst pushed the guests back on top with a kill, and three points later, a Scot attack error closed out the frame for the Blue Streaks.
Nash's 14 kills led all players, while the first-year backed that up with 12 digs. Billetdeaux's 10 kills rounded out the Scots with double digits, while junior Meghan Botsch finished a dig shy of a double-double.
Calabrese paced John Carroll with 12 digs, while Anna Coughlin's 14 digs marked the team high.
Next, Wooster's off to Lansing, Michigan for a conference-wide challenge pitting schools from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association against the North Coast Athletic Conference. Play there starts on Friday, September 6.