Allegheny 3, Ohio Wesleyan 0

Senior outside hitter Kristin Kovach (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) recorded a double-digit performance in kills, but Allegheny outlasted the Bishops for a North Coast Athletic Conference win on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Allegheny won the match by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 25-19.

In the first set, the Gators broke a 6-6 tie with 3 straight points that included an ace by Caitlin Solan. Allegheny still led, 14-10, when the Bishops rallied with a pair of kills by Kovach and another from freshman middle hitter Hannah Benzing (Findlay/Liberty Benton) to pull within 14-13. Allegheny's Caitlin Rothman answered with a kill to end the Bishop run, and added another kill as the Gators took a 20-15 lead only to see Ohio Wesleyan rally once again, with junior middle hitter Lainey Kekic (Canfield/Western Reserve) providing a kill and a pair of block assists as the Bishops clawed back to within 21-20. Allegheny would score the next 2 points, though, and the teams traded points from there before Rothman ended the set with a kill.

Solan racked up 3 kills as Allegheny raced to a 7-2 lead in the second set, but the Bishops chipped away at the deficit, with Kovach blasting 2 kills and freshman outside hitter Meg Weissenberger (Toledo/Central Catholic) and junior setter Jenna Teeters (Johnstown) providing one each as Ohio Wesleyan came back to tie the score at 11-11. Solan then helped the Gators take another 5-point lead, putting away 3 more kills as Allegheny broke a 14-14 tie with a 6-1 run only to see Ohio Wesleyan come back once again, closing to within 24-21 with the help of kills by Kovach and Weissenberger. Solan then set up Caileigh Hughes for a kill to end the second set.

The Gators broke a 7-7 tie in the third set, getting a pair of kills from Jordan Leopold during a 5-0 run that put Allegheny ahead to stay. Ohio Wesleyan came within 15-12 on a block by Kekic and Weissenberger, and the Bishops were still within 23-18 down the stretch, but Allegheny ended the set and the match with kills by Rothman and Leopold.

Kovach led the Bishops with 12 kills, while Weissenberger finished with 8 and Kekic added 5. Teeters dished out a team-high 19 assists.

Defensive leaders for Ohio Wesleyan included Kekic, who recorded a team-high 6 blocks; and Weissenberger and junior outside hitter Alexa Bean (Columbus/Upper Arlington), who shared the team lead with 16 digs apiece.

Box Score