The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team won its sixth consecutive home match on Wednesday night, defeating Heidelberg University 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20) in a non-conference match at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 12-3 overall and 6-0 inside Horsburgh Gym, while the Student Princes fell to 5-11 on the season.
Junior middle blocker Jennifer Ngo led the Spartans with 14 kills and added four total blocks, while sophomore right side hitter Carly Scott added a career-high 11 kills. Defensively, junior libero Alyssa Blessinger paced the squad with 13 digs, and sophomore outside hitter Rea Marfatia contributed 12 digs and eight kills. Senior setter Sara Rogers and sophomore setter Ansley Yamaato each had 20 or more assists, with Rogers leading the team at 26 and Yamaato totaling 20.
CWRU started the match by winning eight of the first nine points to take an 8-1 lead in the first set. After Heidelberg cut the deficit to five, the Spartans won the next four points to lead 13-4. The visitors cut the CWRU lead to six at 21-15, but CWRU would finish the set by winning four of the final seven points to claim the set at 25-18.
The Spartans led by as many as three points in the second set until embarking on a 6-2 run to lead 21-15. Heidelberg cut its deficit to three at 22-19 with a service ace, prompting a CWRU timeout. After the timeout, Ngo delivered a kill followed by a block with senior outside/right side hitter Gianna Lambert to put the Spartans one point away from claiming the set. The Student Princes stayed alive by winning the next two points, but Marfatia gave the hosts a 2-0 lead with a set-ending kill.
The third set was tightly contested with neither team leading by more than four points. With the score tied at 21, a kill by first-year outside hitter Kalli Wall put CWRU just three points away from clinching the match. However, Heidelberg battled back by winning four of the next five points to claim the set 25-23 and send the match to a fourth set.
The Spartans responded to dropping their first set of the match by starting the fourth set with a 7-2 run. However, Heidelberg went on a 5-1 run to cut the CWRU lead to just one. After Case Western Reserve won the next three points, the visitors rallied with a 4-0 run to tie the score at 11. Ngo ended the run with a kill, sparking a mini 3-0 Spartan run. The Student Princes would cut their deficit to one at 16-15, but the hosts won the next three points to claim a four-point advantage. After the teams traded the following six points, a Student Prince attacking error gave the Spartans a 23-18 lead. In between two Heidelberg points, Wall and Ngo finished the set with two kills to win the match.
CWRU resumes conference play with the second University Athletic Association Round Robin this weekend, traveling to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday to take on Brandeis at 9 a.m. and #10 New York University at 3 p.m. The Spartans are currently tied for fifth in the conference standings with a 1-2 record.
