The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team opened its season by winning the first two matches at the Great Lakes Cross Over held at the Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio, on Friday, defeating Ohio Northern University in five sets and Chatham University in three sets.

The Spartans improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Polar Bears dropped to 1-1 and the Cougars fell to 0-2.

CWRU 3, Ohio Northern 2 (25-22, 16-25, 18-25, 25-21, 15-8)

The teams were evenly matched 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The Spartans claimed a two-point advantage with an attacking error followed by a service ace by senior Lily Crouch. The Polar Bears won six of the next seven points to take a three-point lead. Later, a kill by senior Rea Marfatia and service ace from sophomore Sude Naz Item tied the score at 16, igniting a 6-1 CWRU run.

After an Ohio Northern timeout, the Polar Bears came within one, but back-to-back kills by junior Kalli Wall put Case Western Reserve within two of clinching the set. The two sides alternated the next four points with a kill by sophomore Emily Goodpaster clinching the set for CWRU.

With the second set tied at eight, Ohio Northern used an 8-2 run to take a six-point lead. It would be all the Polar Bears needed as they evened the match score at one with a nine-point set win.

The Spartans started the critical third set with a 4-0 run, but the Polar Bears evened the score at four with a run of their own. Case Western Reserve claimed an 11-7 advantage, prompting an Ohio Northern timeout. CWRU maintained its lead until a 5-1 ONU run made the score 17-16 in favor of the Polar Bears. ONU scored eight of the final 10 points to claim the third set.

Needing a fourth set win to keep the match alive, Case Western Reserve opened the scoring with the first two points. The Polar Bears won four of the next five to take a brief one-point lead, but two kills from Goodpaster and an attacking error put the Spartans ahead by one. ONU used a 5-0 run to take a 12-8 lead, however, the Spartans battled back, tying the score at 14 on a service ace from Marfatia. The teams traded the next eight points before a bad ONU set put the Spartans ahead 19-18. Following a Polar Bear timeout, ONU won the next two points. Kills by Marfatia and Wall and a block by Crouch and Marfatia put CWRU ahead by two. Wall put down a kill for the 23rd point, and, after a service error, Marfatia recorded the final two points with a kill and an ace to force a fifth set.

With momentum on their side, the Spartans won the first six points of the decisive fifth set. Ohio Northern cut its deficit to four, 8-4, but junior Kiya Levy increased the CWRU lead to five with a kill. Two Polar Bear points made the score 9-6 in favor of the Spartans, prompting a Case Western Reserve timeout. Ohio Northern came out of the break with a kill, further cutting into the deficit, but four consecutive Spartan points put Case Western Reserve ahead by six, 13-7. ONU ended the run with a kill, but CWRU ended the match with back-to-back points to earn their first win of the season.

Marfatia led the team with 16 kills and 16 digs, and senior Carly Scott recorded a career-high 45 assists to go along with 12 digs. Wall finished with 11 kills, and junior Amanda Ngo recorded eight. Goodpaster nearly finished with a double-double, adding eight kills and nine digs.

CWRU 3, Chatham 0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-12)

After the Cougars won the first three points, CWRU went on an 8-1 run to stake an early four-point lead. Chatham cut its deficit to two, 13-11, but a 10-4 Spartan run put the set out of reach. Wall and senior Carly Scott both put down two kills during the run with Marfatia and Wall closing the set out with back-to-back kills.

CWRU led by five points early in the second set, going ahead 10-5 after forcing a Chatham attacking error. The Cougars fought back, tying the score at 12 with a service ace. After claiming six of the next seven points, the Spartans held a five-point advantage. However, a 7-3 Chatham run made the score 21-20 in favor of Case Western Reserve. Needing a point to prevent the late tie, Levy recorded a kill to ignite a set-ending 4-2 Spartan run.

Looking to secure the sweep, the Spartans won 11 of the first 16 points in the third set and followed that with a 7-2 run to open an 18-7 lead. Wall recorded five kills during the first 25-point stretch and finished the contest with a team-high 13. The Cougars came within double digits, twice cutting the deficit to eight, but five consecutive Spartan points ended the match in a 3-0 Case Western Reserve victory.

In addition to the 13 kills, Wall led the team with four blocks in the contest. Levy had three blocks, and Ngo finished with five kills and a block. Scott again paced the team with 19 assists, and first-year Avery Basinger recorded eight assists in her collegiate debut. Goodpaster had a team-high 12 digs, and Marfatia finished with 10 digs and seven kills.

CWRU will continue its competition in Sandusky on Saturday, August 31, facing Greenville at 8 a.m. and LeTourneau at 12 p.m.

Match Notes

• The Spartans secured their first-ever win over Ohio Northern in six attempts and first-ever victory over Chatham in their first attempt
• CWRU is making its third-ever trip to Sandusky for the Great Lakes Cross Over, going 9-1 at the Cedar Point Sports Center so far
• The Spartans have now won their last four season-opening matches and have a 15-7 record since 2002 in season openers