The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team began the two-day, five-team CWRU Quad with a sweep of Adrian College on Friday night inside Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, defeating the visitors 25-23, 25-18, 25-20.

The Spartans improved their record to 6-0 to start the season, while the Bulldogs fell to 2-2 on the campaign.

Offensively, Case Western Reserve was led by senior Rea Marfatia, who finished with 11 kills and 14 digs, and junior Amanda Ngo, who tallied eight kills and a .538 hitting percentage. Senior Carly Scott directed the attack with 34 assists and added 13 digs, and senior Lily Crouch ended the match with three kills, two service aces, six digs, and a team-high six total blocks. Liberos Sude Naz Item (nine digs) and Sophia Datto (seven digs) contributed on defense.   

The Spartans started the match by winning the first four points and held a five-point lead later in the set. However, an 8-1 Adrian run gave the Bulldogs a 13-11 lead. Though Crouch ended the run with a kill, Adrian scored four times in a row to increase its advantage to five. CWRU responded, claiming the next seven points on kills by four different attackers to take a two-point lead. The visitors would not go away quietly, making the score 23-22 by forcing a Spartan attacking error. Marfatia buried a kill to increase the lead to two, but an Adrian kill brought the Bulldogs within one. The senior finished the set off with her third kill of the night, giving CWRU a 1-0 lead in the match.

Adrian led by two early in the second set before the Spartans won six consecutive points on the service of Crouch to take a 10-6 lead. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to two, 12-10, but that would be as close as they came to tying the score. CWRU won 10 of the next 12 points, increasing its lead to nine. Though Adrian won five of the final eight rallies, a kill from Ngo gave CWRU a two-set lead in the match.

The Bulldogs opened the third set with a service ace, but the Spartans used a 10-5 run to take an early four-point lead. An 8-3 run in response put the visitors back on top, 14-13, but the Spartans won the next five points on the service of senior Deme Yianas to take a four-point lead. Adrian was able to cut its deficit to three points but kills on the final rallies by Marfatia and senior Chloe Maciejewski sealed the win for CWRU.

The Spartans will next play Allegheny and Earlham on Saturday inside Horsburgh for the second day of the CWRU Quad. CWRU takes on the Gators at 10 a.m. and the Quakers at 12 p.m.

Match Facts

• The victory was the second in a row for CWRU over Adrian after the Spartans won the last meeting in 2016
• Scott recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 34 assists and 13 digs
• Marfatia had double-digit kills for the fifth time this season, missing the milestone just once so far in 2024
• First-year Madeline Halter made her collegiate debut in the match, recording two kills, one block, and one dig