SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Kenyon Ladies closed their season in strong fashion on Saturday defeating The College of Wooster and Hiram College to finish the year 18-12 and in fifth place of the North Coast Athletic Conference. Coach Amanda Krampf's squad also attained back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1989-1990.
 
During the day, the NCAC also announced its all-conference team with sophomore Delaney Swanson making first team and Jensen Shurbert and Schuyler Stupica earning honorable mention accolades.
 
MATCH ONE
 
Stupica was key for the Ladies against the Fighting Scots as she totaled 12 kills and hit .400 for the match. Mackenzie Bruzzio added 11 kills while Rachael Thorson registered a season-high 25 digs. Alexi Donnelly chipped in with eight kills and 13 digs as well.
 
Kenyon was up 9-7 in the first set before a 12-3 run blew things open. During that stretch, Donnelly, Stupica and Swanson each had a pair of kills. The Ladies prevailed in the opener 25-16.
 
Things were a little bit tighter in the second as neither team held a lead bigger than three points. The score was tied at 25 after Ksenia Klue delivered a kill for Wooster. The next two points though went Kenyon's way as Maleah Miller recorded a kill and a block assist from Shurbert and Stupica ended the second set.
 
Kenyon wrapped things up in the third. The Fighting Scots did get out to a 9-2 lead after a Lydia Webster kill, and later led 18-13 before the Ladies came back. Down by five, Kenyon reeled off an 8-2 run to take a 21-20 lead after a bad. Wooster followed with the next two points, but down the stretch, Stupica tallied two kills and Swanson added another as the Ladies won 25-23.
 
MATCH TWO
 
Earlier in the season, Kenyon edged Hiram in five sets. During the fifth-place match today at the NCAC tourney, it was close again, but the Ladies won in four.
 
Bruzzio capped off her freshman year with a season-best 18 kills. Swanson added 15 kills and 20 digs while Thorson once again paced the Ladies' defense with 24 digs. Miller, another freshman, also tallied a season-high 13 kills to go along with three blocks while Ashley Martens came up with 22 digs. Directing the offense was Shurbert, who came up with 47 assists.
 
Set one saw the Terriers get out to an 8-3 lead before the Ladies started getting into a groove. A 12-4 run gave Kenyon a 15-12 advantage and after that, competition stayed close.  Hiram got within a point of clinching victory when they had a 24-23 lead. However, the Ladies pushed back scoring three straight which ended with a Swanson service ace.
 
In the second, both teams traded blows back and forth until the Ladies edged the Terriers in the end. With the set tied at 26, Donnelly and Bruzzio came up with back-to-back kills to push the Ladies ahead in the match, 2-0.
 
Play remained close in the third as neither team held a lead bigger than four points. Down by one, 23-22, the Terriers kept their chances alive as the scored three consecutive points including two kills from the NCAC's Player of the Year Marissa Jay.
 
Kenyon then wrapped up the match in the fourth. Down 23-21, the Ladies clinched the match with four points in a row highlighted by two Swanson kills and a Shurbert ace to claim victory.