<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2uvMaF_0vluftb700" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2uvMaF_0vluftb700" width="1050" height="525" ></figure>GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College volleyball team hosted Otterbein University on Thursday night in the third of four home games before kicking off the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) schedule. Although the Owls were able to get a decisive win in the second set, the Cardinals proved too much to handle down the stretch falling 3-1. Kenyon (6-11) got things off to a good start with two quick points in the opening set by way of an ace and an attack error off of a Sophia Menke block, but Otterbein (10-5) responded with four straight points and never surrendered the lead again in the first. The home team spent most of the first set defending the Cardinals’ 16 kills, tying their highest total of the game in a single set, hitting at a 0.29 percentage. The Owls on the other hand had only five kills in the first set hitting at 0.12 percent, and ultimately falling 25-18. In the second frame, the offense came to life. After a 4-4 tie to open, Kenyon rattled off six straight points as Ariana Flota led the charge on the serve while Menke and Maggie Wolf defended the net for four blocks in the six-point span to go up 10-4.Otterbein eventually cut the defecit and took a 16-15 lead, Kenyon locked in for another great run with six straight points fueled by kills from Menke, Olivia Gumz, and Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese, and held on to win the second set 25-22 and even the match at one. The second set was the Owls’ best offensively, registering a team-high 44 attempts and 11 kills in the second, hitting at 0.114 percent.However, the visitors came back with a strong start to the third and fourth sets, ripping off 6-0 and 5-0 leads which Kenyon was never able to truly come back from. In the third, the Cardinals tied their opening set number with 16 kills compared to the Owls eight. Otterbein’s hitting percentage was very efficient in the third and fourth, 0.314 and 0.36 marks respectively. The Cardinals took the third set 25-17 and the fourth 25-15 to take the match 3-1. Defensively, Menke led the squad with five blocks followed by Wolf who had four. Aura Barinas’ 17 digs was the highest on the team, while Flota had nine and Lauren Blakemore chipped in with seven from the libero spot. On the offensive side, Rumpca-Veronese led all Owls attackers with nine kills, while Gumz had seven and Barinas had six. Menke was at the top of the home team’s point scorers with nine-and-a-half, and Rumpca-Veronese added nine. Kenyon’s record drops to 6-11 with the loss. The Owls will open up NCAC play on Saturday, September 28 and take on the Oberlin College Yeowomen as part of the college’s Homecoming festivities, starting at 11:00 am from Tomsich Arena.</div></body>

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Owls take one, can’t control Cardinals

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College volleyball team hosted Otterbein University on Thursday night in the third of four home games before kicking off the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) schedule. Although the Owls were able to get a decisive win in the second set, the Cardinals proved too...