GAMBIER, Ohio – Down by five in the first set, the Kenyon Ladies turned the tables on Capital University with a pair of solo blocks from Schuyler Stupica and that defensive momentum carried over to her team en route to a four-set win over the Crusaders Thursday night.
 
Stupica, a sophomore, recorded nine kills and four solo blocks. Kenyon also had a few other contributions from underclassmen in its season opener. Second-year players Delaney Swanson and Alexi Donnelly combined for 19 kills and 21 digs while freshman Mackenzie Bruzzio registered 10 kills in her debut. Setter Jensen Shurbert dished out a match-high 35 assists and while Rachael Thorson collected 11 digs.
 
Down 13-8 after a Kristin Bender kill, the Ladies pulled to within one (16-15) following Stupica's solo blocks. Kenyon then took the lead on a Shurbert no-look attack which brought the score to 19-18. Set one got tied again at 19 following a Ladies service error, but after that, Kenyon scored six of the next seven points and closed the opening set on a Bruzzio kill.
 
In the second set, Donnelly pushed the Ladies ahead 6-2 early. However, Capital got in gear and went up 15-12 following a service ace from Kristen Jutte. The two teams traded points back and forth until the Crusaders gained a slim one-point advantage (20-19) after a Kristen Mellott kill. That lead didn't hold though as Capital shot itself in the foot with a few errors down the stretch resulting in the deciding points.
 
Down 2-0, Capital came back in set three despite a bad start. Kenyon had a 5-0 lead, but the visitors slowly crawled back and tied it at 12 after an attack error from Bruzzio. Once again, the set got notted up at 19 and then at 23 before Capital secured the final two points on kills. 
 
The final set turned out to be the most competitive as neither team held a lead bigger than three points. A close-knit fourth set got all the way to 21-19 after a Mellott kill. But Kenyon wouldn't allow Capital to get any closer and sealed the deal on a Swanson kill ending the match.
 
Next up for Kenyon is a quick trip to Westerville to face Ohio Christian University and Otterbein University tomorrow starting at 5 p.m.