Delaware, Ohio – The No. 20 Transylvania volleyball team swept the Kenyon College Ladies, 3-0 in the morning match of Saturday's Bishop Invitational at Ohio Wesleyan University before falling to the Otterbein University Cardinals in three sets in the afternoon finale at Branch Rickey Arena.
Transylvania now stands at 7-6 on the season after facing the challenging slate of Ohio opponents over the weekend on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan.
Transylvania roared to victory against Kenyon on Saturday morning in a 25-19, 25-10, 25-12 rout, fueled by a nearly perfect second set in which the Pioneers reeled off 18 kills to just one error for a sizzling .486 attacking percentage. Cate Scheper led the way with 11 kills and was followed by Kayden Holcomb's season-high nine kills. Lauren Reynolds also had a season-high in kills with eight total on the way to being named to the Bishop Invitational All-Tournament team.
In the immaculate second set, Madi Davis held serve for eight straight points as the Pioneers corralled a 10-1 lead. Scheper, Reynolds, and Holcomb combined for seven kills over the torrid stretch. The Pioneers signed off on the set with a 5-0 run to quickly conclude matters.
The Pioneers put the match out of reach early in the third with another 6-0 run to capture an insurmountable advantage. Transylvania garnered 43 kills to 25 by Kenyon, and assembled an overall attacking percentage of .347 on the day.
Grace Ward led the Pioneers with 21 assists while Ava Beltsos paced the team in digs with 14.
Transylvania was unable to replicate its success in the afternoon as the Cardinals prevailed over the Pioneers, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21. Otterbein showed off its offensive fangs with 17 kills and a .448 attacking percentage in the opening set. The Cardinals were exceptional in the second set, producing 15 kills to just one error to outbid the Pioneer offense, which reeled off 10 kills.
Transylvania erased an early 6-2 second set deficit thanks to three consecutive aces by Maggie Harrison following a pair of Madison Sweeney and Reynolds kills. But the Cardinals broke away from the Pioneers, converting a 15-14 advantage into a 22-15 stronghold. Transy rallied to cut the deficit to four late off a kill from Scheper, but the Cardinals scored the final two points of the set to close it out.
Trailing 12-6 in the third, the Pioneers made another furious rally to pull within one at 13-12 after a Makayla Davis ace. After trading scoring barbs, the Pioneers scored three straight points to steal a 17-16 lead after two big points by Kaetlin Ethington at the net. The Cardinals had the final word, erasing a 19-18 deficit by closing the afternoon on a 7-2 run to complete the sweep.
Scheper was the kills leader in match two with nine on the afternoon. Davis led the Pioneers with 14 assists while Beltsos led the team in digs with 10.
After starting the season with 12 of 13 matches away from home, the Pioneers will kick off an extended homestand beginning with a Tuesday, September 21 match against the Wittenberg University Tigers at 7:00 p.m. at the Beck Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
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