The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team split a pair of matches on the second day of the 44th Annual ONU Invitational on the campus of Ohio Northern University on Saturday at the ONU Sports Center in Ada, Ohio. CWRU started the day with a five-set loss to fifth-ranked Calvin University before rebounding with a sweep of Albion College.
With the split, the Spartans record sits at 9-3 on the season. The Knights improved to 9-1, while the Britons fell to 7-4.
Senior middle blocker Jennifer Ngo led the Case Western Reserve attack, totaling 25 kills across the two matches. Ngo also had 15 total blocks during the day. Junior outside hitter Rea Marfatia was second on the squad with 23 kills and contributed 20 digs. Defensively, senior libero Alyssa Blessinger had 26 digs, senior setter Ansley Yamaato had 24 digs, and first-year outside hitter Emily Goodpaster contributed 18 digs.
#5 Calvin 3, CWRU 2 (25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 26-28, 12-15)
The Spartans were able to take the first two sets against the fifth-ranked team in Division III. After neither team led by more than two points early in the match, a 4-0 CWRU run put the team ahead 13-10. The Spartans maintained the three-point advantage until Calvin tied the score at 16. CWRU pushed its advantage to four, 22-18, but four straight Knight points again put the first set in a deadlock. Ngo buried a kill to put the Spartans ahead, but the Knights responded with a kill of their own. Junior setter/outside hitter Carly Scott had Case Western Reserve serving for set point with a kill, and a block by Scott and Ngo finished the first set.
CWRU led early in the second set by as many as four points, but Calvin scored seven in a row to take an 18-13 lead. A service error started a 6-1 Spartan run which tied the score at 19. Marfatia, Ngo, and Scott had kills or blocks throughout the run. The Knights ended the run with a kill to take a tentative 20-19 lead, but sophomore outside hitter Kalli Wall buried the next point to tie the score. Ngo aced the following serve, and the Spartans did not trail for the remainder of the set, eventually winning on a kill by sophomore middle blocker Amanda Ngo.
Looking to keep the match alive, the Knights started the third set with a 9-4 run. CWRU tied the score three times later in the set at 15, 17, and 19. However, Calvin won six of the final seven points to force a fourth set.
In that set, the Spartans started with a 5-2 run. Albion claimed an advantage with five of the next six points, but a 5-1 CWRU run put the team ahead 11-8. After splitting the next six points, Calvin cut its deficit to one, and eventually took an 18-17 lead with a kill. Consecutive kills by Marfatia, senior right side hitter Lauren Himmel, and Jennifer Ngo gave the Spartans a two-point advantage. The teams traded the next four points, and a block by Calvin tied the score at 22. Two consecutive Spartan points had the team serving for the match, but the Knights won the next three points to serve for the set. Wall tied the score at 25 and 26 to keep the Spartans alive in the set, but two Case Western Reserve errors forced a decisive fifth set.
After the Spartans tied the score at four in the fifth set, a 5-1 Calvin run put the Knights ahead 9-5. A kill by Jennifer Ngo later in the set capped a four-point Spartan run that tied the score at 11. However, Calvin won four of the final five points to escape with a win.
CWRU 3, Albion 0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-18)
Albion led early in the second match of the day, taking a 14-8 lead in the middle of the first set. The Britons led by as many as five points later in the set, 18-13, before Jennifer Ngo scored the next two points with a kill and a service ace. A bad Briton set brought the Spartans within two, and Amanda Ngo cut the deficit to one with a kill. Albion won the next point to stop the CWRU run, but Case Western Reserve won the three points to pull ahead 20-19. The Britons tied the score at 20 and 21 before three consecutive Spartan points gave the team a 24-21 lead. Albion fought off set point, but a Marfatia kill ended the first set in favor of CWRU.
The Spartans continued their momentum into the second set, winning the first five points and seven of the first nine. Case Western Reserve opened a seven-point lead, 13-6, on a kill by Amanda Ngo. The Britons eventually cut their deficit to two, 18-16, before the teams traded the next six points. Three consecutive Spartan points put the team one point away from clinching the set. Following an Albion point, CWRU held its second 2-0 lead of the day on a Marfatia kill.
With Albion leading 7-6 early in the third set, Case Western Reserve won the next five points to take a four-point lead. With a 12-9 lead, four straight points gave the Spartans a 16-9 advantage. Albion used a 9-3 run to make the score 19-18 in favor of CWRU, but the Spartans won the final six points of the set on the service of Blessinger to clinch the match.
CWRU returns home next Saturday for the first University Athletic Association round robin of the season, facing #7 WashU at 12 p.m. and #11 NYU at 4 p.m. inside Horsburgh Gymnasium. The first 50 students at the match will receive a free T-shirt courtesy of CWRU Athletics.
