The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday to conclude play at the CWRU Quad at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland. The Spartans defeated Allegheny College in four sets (25-9, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22) before falling to Colorado College in four sets (25-15, 15-25, 22-25, 18-25).

CWRU moved to 4-4 this season, while the Gators fell to 1-7 and the Tigers improved to 5-1.

Stats and Standouts

• First-year Maya Zarow led the team in kills in both matches, totaling 27 kills in eight sets
• Senior Emily Goodpaster added seven kills against Colorado to go along with a team-high 13 digs. She led the squad with 12 digs against Allegheny and added three service aces
• Junior Sienna Olson totaled 18 kills in the two matches, and junior Madeline Halter contributed eight against the Gators and seven in the loss to the Tigers
• Junior Avery Basinger (38 assists in two matches) and first-year Piper Starling (34 assists in two matches) split the setting duties for CWRU
• First-year Sophie Bell added 11 digs and two assists in the first match, and senior Sude Naz Item dug out seven attacks in the afternoon matchup

CWRU 3, Allegheny 1 (25-9, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22)

First Set (25-9)

• The Spartans started the set with a 10-1 run, dropping their lone point on a service error
• The hosts went ahead by 10 on a kill by Olson and scored seven of the next nine points to lead by 15
• Olson had two kills in the final four points to secure the set for CWRU

Second Set (19-25)

• Allegheny gained an early lead, going ahead 11-7 on a bad Case Western Reserve set
• The Gators won five of the next seven points to increase their advantage to seven
• The teams split the next 10 points, before the Spartans won the next five rallies to cut their deficit to just two, 21-19
•  Goodpaster had a service ace and Halter, and first-year Ava Felgar contributed kills during the run
• However, Allegheny won the final four points of the set to even the match

Third Set (25-17)

• With the score tied at four, Allegheny won seven consecutive points to take an early edge in the pivotal third set
• CWRU responded with an 8-1 run of its own, tying the score at 12 as the squad received kills from Olson, Felgar, Halter, and Goodpaster and an ace by Basinger
• Allegheny regained the lead on a service error, but the Spartans followed with a 9-1 run to take a seven-point lead late in the set
• The Gators cut the deficit to five, 22-17, but back-to-back kills by Olson and a kill by Goodpaster won the set for the hosts

Fourth Set (25-22)

• Neither team led by more than two points until an Allegheny attacking error gave CWRU a 14-11 edge
• Olson later added a kill to put the Spartans ahead by four, 16-12, with Felgar doing the same four points later to make the score 18-14
• The Gators won the next three points to cut their deficit to one
• Two attacking errors and a service ace by Basinger helped CWRU regain a four-point edge
• Allegheny battled, tightening the deficit to one, 23-22, with a kill
• Zarow finished the match with two kills in a row, giving the team its second consecutive win

Colorado College 3, CWRU 1 (25-15, 15-25, 22-25, 18-25)

First Set (25-15)

• After dropping the first three points, CWRU won the next five to take an early lead
• Colorado responded with a 5-1 run of its own, reclaiming a two-point edge
• On the service of Item, CWRU won seven points in a row with kills by Zarow, sophomore Isabel Haytayan, and Olson, two blocks by Goodpaster and Haytayan, and a service ace
• The teams traded the next three points before CWRU went on a 7-1 run to take a 10-point edge over the Tigers
• Haytayan finished the set eight rallies later with a kill, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the match

Second Set (15-25)

• With the score tied at 11 in the second stanza, Colorado won six points in a row
• The Spartans won three of the next four rallies, cutting the deficit to four
• However, the Tigers ended the set with a 7-1 run tying the match at 1

Third Set (22-25)

• The lead changed hands five times in the tightly contested, pivotal third period
• Neither team led by more than two points until late in the set with both squads battling for control of the match
• Halter tied the score at 18 on a kill late in the period
• Back-to-back kills followed by a service ace put the Tigers up three
• A service error and kill by Zarow brought the Spartans within one, but Colorado responded with another kill and ace combination
• CWRU stayed alive in the set on an attacking error, but a Colorado kill ended the set in favor of the visitors, 25-22

Fourth Set (18-25)

• The Spartans led by four points early in the fourth and final set, going ahead 9-5 on a Colorado attacking error and 10-6 on a service error
• The Tigers won 12 of the next 13 points, flipping the deficit to a seven-point lead
• CWRU was able to cut the deficit to four, 18-14, but they would be the closest the team would get to sending the match to a fifth set

Spartan Notes

• The meeting was the first all-time between the Spartans and the Tigers
• CWRU won its 13th consecutive match over Allegheny in a streak dating back to 2007 and improved to 15-3 since 2004 against the Gators
• Zarow, who has at least 10 kills in every match this season, finished the day with 105 kills, the second-most in the University Athletic Association
• Basinger, who is averaging 5.00 assists per set, ranks sixth in the conference
• Olson set a new career high with 11 kills against Allegheny
• CWRU had a .246 hitting percentage against Allegheny and a .181 hitting percentage against Colorado College

Up Next

The Spartans will make the short trek to Oberlin, Ohio, for a midweek non-conference matchup against Oberlin College. Action begins on Wednesday, September 16 at 7 p.m.