Box Score Sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Ngo notched nine kills and junior outside hitters Gianna Lambert and Meara Reeder each racked up eight kills, to lead the Case Western Reserve University volleyball team to a 3-0 win over John Carroll University on Wednesday evening.
The Spartans are 6-7 on the season, while John Carroll drops to 7-10 on campaign.
Junior Sara Rogers set up the offense as she tallied 26 assists. Sophomore libero Alyssa Blessinger and Rogers each led the Spartans with 19 digs apiece. In addition, Ngo recorded a team-high five blocks, while Lambert registered four.
After a slow start in the opening set, the Spartans settled in to claim a 25-19 victory. CWRU trailed by as many five in the first stanza (11-6), but battled back, tying the match at 12-12 after a service ace by first-year outside hitter Rea Marfatia. The Spartans went on to lead by as many as seven points in the set, grabbing a 21-14 lead on a kill by Rogers, and closed out the set with a kill by first-year right side hitter Chloe Maciejewski.
Unlike the first set, CWRU was not plagued by a slow start in the second, as they took an 8-4 lead after a kill by Reeder. The Blue Streaks answered back with a 14-5 run to take an 18-13 lead. The Spartans battled back to go on an 11-6 run to even the score at 24-24. CWRU secured the set victory with a kill by Ngo and an error committed by JCU.
The Spartans took a 9-2 lead early in the third set, but the Blue Streaks would be able to cut the lead to 23-20 late in the set. However, kills by Lambert and Reeder gave CWRU the 25-20 victory, and a 3-0 win in the match.
The sweep was the Spartans' fourth this season, and their second-consecutive after a 3-0 win over Brandeis on September 19th.
The Spartans will now turn their attention to the second University Athletic Association round robin of the season, as the team will head to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 3rd. CWRU will open the second round robin against the University of Rochester (N.Y.) at 10:00 a.m. and then face the 22nd-ranked University of Chicago at 12:00 p.m.
