GRANVILLE, Ohio -- The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team split day two Saturday afternoon at the Big Red Invitational, which was hosted by Denison College in Ohio. The Presidents fell in three sets against Denison before closing out their day with their first victory this season after going four sets against Wilmington.
 
Denison 3, W&J 0 (21-25, 20-25, 14-25)
 
Denison recorded their second win of the tournament against W&J after collecting one the previous day in a five-set win over Wilmington. The Presidents dropped the match by scores of 25-21, 25-20, and 25-14.
 
Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa. / South Park) tallied a team-leading seven kills, while Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio / Buckeye) added a team-high 14 digs and Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) recorded two total blocks on the defensive end of things. Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Woodland Hills) registered a team-leading 10 assists. Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio / Fairbanks) led W&J with three service aces.
 
W&J 3, Wilmington 1 (25-20, 25-18, 11-25, 25-22)
 
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle for both teams before the Presidents ultimately pulled away for the win. Early in the set, Wilmington gained a 12-7 lead on the Red & Black before a kill by Carmichael sparked some momentum and W&J reaped back-to-back points to take the lead, putting the score at 13-12. Both teams would continue to trade off points until the score reached 21-20 and the Presidents took control, scoring the last four consecutive points to claim the set 25-20.
 
The next set would play out in similar fashion with both teams alternating points. The Presidents methodically pulled ahead before taking the set 25-18 for a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Presidents were unable to carry that momentum into the third set, as the Quakers tallied nine of the first 12 points to build a sizable advantage. W&J did their best to close the gap and battled back to 16-11 before Wilmington scored the last nine consecutive points to force a fourth set. 
 
W&J opened the fourth set with eight-straight points to take control. A service ace by Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) extended the lead into double digits at 16-6. Wilmington eventually cut the W&J lead to just three points (20-17) before W&J was able to pull away down the stretch. The Quakers put together another small run before W&J closed the match with a kill by Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio / Holy Name). 
 
Benz had a team-high 10 kills to pace the Presidents. Sacramento contributed two team highs, finishing with three service aces and sharing the team-high 10 digs each with Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa./Cornerstone Preparatory Academy). Carmichael notched four blocks for the Red & Black and Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) recorded a team-high 19 assists.
 
W&J (1-2 overall) will travel to Pitt-Greensburg on Tuesday, September 5th. The non-conference match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.