GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Washington & Jefferson women's volleyball team (2-4) fell in a hard-fought five-set thriller to the Denison Big Red (2-2) by a score of 25-21, 16-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-12.
Four Presidents highlighted the night with career high performances. Sophomore
Cali Dagen (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) set a career high and led the team with 18 kills. In the same category, classmate
Lola Jacobs (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) matched her career high with 13 kills on the night. Sophomore
Sydney Allen (Washington, Pa./Trinity) set a new career high in digs with 29 throughout the contest. Additionally, classmate
Isabella Bottiglieri (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) set a new assists career high with 25.
The middle caused problems for the Big Red all night. The team combined for 10 block assists and got touches on numerous Denison attempts all game forcing resets in the Big Red attack.
The two teams traded runs to begin the contest as neither team could hold a lead larger than three until the 15-point technical timeout. Jacobs had kills on three consecutive W&J points to slow down a Denison run and bring the score to 18-14. The two teams traded points the rest of the way and the Big Red ultimately took set one 25-21.
W&J got off to a strong start in set two, opening the frame on an 8-2 run with serves from senior
Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio/Holy Name). Four different Presidents had kills during the sequence. Benz picked up two kills to help extend the W&J lead to 15-5 heading into the media timeout. Denison started to go on a run towards the end of the second frame, but an ace by junior
Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) sealed the set 25-16, knotting the match up at one.
Both teams continued to go back and forth in the third set of action. Neither team had more than a three-point advantage all the way until W&J took a 15-14 lead going into the media timeout. W&J went on a four-point run going into the break. Kills came from Jacobs and freshman
Eva McKnight (East Liverpool, Ohio/Beaver), along with an ace by Benz to cap off the run. W&J went on a second four-point run which featured two aces for Jacobs. A second ace from Moorhouse closed out a 25-20 set for the Presidents, giving them a two sets to one advantage.
W&J went on a five-point run early in the second set with serves from Jacobs. Senior
Abby Oldham (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) had a kill during the run as well. Denison responded with a seven-point run of their own, but the Presidents did not go away. W&J took a 16-11 lead with Bottiglieri serving a nine-point swing. The Big Red closed the fourth set winning eight of the last 10 points to send the match to a 15-point shootout.
Denison got out to an early five-point run in the final set, but W&J responded with a four-point swing to regain the 7-5 advantage. Dagen had two kills during the Bottiglieri serving sequence. Both teams traded two-point swings, but Denison ultimately found an extra gear to take the fifth set 15-12 and the overall match 3-2.
The Presidents return to the court on Friday (Sept. 11) when they travel to Columbus, Ohio for the Pam Briggs Classic. W&J will be taking on the Otterbein Cardinals at 5:00 p.m. and the hosts, Capital Comets, at 7:00 p.m.
