Hiram 3, Ohio Wesleyan 1
Ohio Wesleyan 3, Otterbein 1

Sept. 27, 2008

Sophomore middle hitter Lainey Kekic (Canfield/Western Reserve), sophomore middle hitter Stacey Tighe (Lewis Center/Olentangy) and sophomore outside hitter Sam Owen (Westerly, R.I./The Prout School) turned in double-digit efforts in kills to help Ohio Wesleyan defeat Otterbein in non-conference play on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The Bishops defeated the Cardinals by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20.

Earlier in the day, Ohio Wesleyan faced Hiram in a North Coast Athletic Conference match, with the Terriers prevailing by scores of 25-21, 28-30, 25-13, 25-10.

Ohio Wesleyan took the lead for good with a 4-0 run in the first set against Otterbein, breaking a 5-5 tie with kills by Tighe and senior middle hitter Janna Dagley (Beavercreek) and a pair of kills by Owen. The Cardinals kept close and were within 16-13 when Ohio Wesleyan reeled off another 4-0 run, with Tighe and Dagley once again contributing kills before Ohio Wesleyan finished off the set with kills by Kekic and junior outside hitter Kristin Kovach (Chagrin Falls/Kenston).

The Bishops threatened to run off with the second set, with sophomore setter Sarah Marshall (Lima/Senior) and Kovach contributing points on the way to a 10-4 Ohio Wesleyan lead. Kekic pounded out a pair of kills and freshman outside hitter Sara Morris (Point White Mountain, Alaska/Mt. Edgecumbe) added another to stretch the Bishop lead to 14-7, and the Bishops still led, 22-15 on Owen's kill. The Cardinals rallied to within 24-21 behind a pair of kills by Alicia Chafins and an ace by Kayla Kaiser, but Leah Yoder's kill attempt was out to end the set.

Otterbein took an early lead in the third set, moving to a 9-5 advantage, but the Bishops came back to tie the match on 4 different occasions before moving out to a 23-21 lead. Facing the end of the match, the Cardinals rallied with a pair of kills by Yoder and scratched out the final 2 points to win, 25-23, and force a fourth set.

In the fourth set, Owen and Kekic had kills to cap a 5-0 run that broke an 8-8 tie and put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and the Bishops extended their lead to 22-14 with the help of kills by Dagley and Tighe. Otterbein rallied once again, slicing the deficit to 22-18, but a timely kill by Owen ended that run before a Dagley kill ended the match.

Kekic finished with a team-high 12 kills, while Tighe and Owen added 10 kills apiece. Marshall compiled 42 assists, junior libero Katie Schlaudt (Holland, Mich.) led the Bishops with 23 digs, and Dagley and Tighe shared the Bishop lead with 2 blocks apiece.

Against Hiram, the Terriers scored the first 3 points of the first set, which qualified as the biggest lead of the set for quite a while. Ohio Wesleyan kept within a point or 2 and eventually took a 15-14 lead on a kill by Tighe. With the score tied at 18-18, Hiram went on a 5-0 run that was capped by back-to-back kills from Randa Jackson. The Bishops came back to within 24-21 with the help of kills by Kekic and Kovach, but Hiram got the next point to end the set.

The second set was just as close, with the Bishops building a 17-12 lead. Hiram came back to tie the set at 22-22 on a kill by Andrea Kaminsky, and after Owen and Bryan traded kills, Kekic came through with a kill for the Bishops to bring on set point. Hiram answered with kills by Kaminsky and Shaina Bryan for a 25-24 lead, but this time the Bishops rallied with back-to-back kills by Kovach for a 26-25 lead. Hiram came back with 2 straight points to serve for the set, but again the Bishops responded, getting a Kovach kill and a block by Dagley and Tighe for a 28-27 lead and another set point. Dagley's kill attempt on set point was wide, but she bounced back with a kill for a 29-28 lead, and the Bishops got the next point to end the set.

Looking to go up 2-1 in sets, the Bishops took a 10-9 lead on a kill by Kekic only to see the Terriers score 10 straight points to put matters out of reach. Rebekah Williams had 2 kills and a block assist during the Hiram run, while Lauren London added a kill and a block.

Hiram pulled away in the fourth set with a 15-4 spurt that included a pair of kills by Williams. Later, Williams added a pair of kills and a block, and Bryan and Ashley Quay added kills to power a 5-2 run that ended the match.

Kekic led the Bishops with 11 kills, while Dagley and Kovach finished with 8 apiece. Marshall's 29 assists led the Bishops, and defensive standouts for Ohio Wesleyan included sophomore outside hitter Alexa Bean (Columbus/Upper Arlington) with a team-high 18 digs and Dagley with 3 blocks.