GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon Ladies volleyball team fell in four sets to both Hiram College and Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Saturday at Tomsich Arena. Kenyon dropped its record to 14-9 and 4-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference in the process
 
MATCH ONE
 
Against the Terriers, the Ladies connected on just .106 of their attacks, their lowest mark of the season.
 
Kenyon did attain a 1-0 match lead after claiming the opening set 25-23. Down 4-2, the Ladies reeled off nine straight points which included two aces from Katie Howard and three others with kills. Hiram fought back on a couple of occasions including a sequence that had the score at 24-23.  However, Delaney Swanson ended the rally with a kill.
 
In the second, Hiram hit .282 while holding Kenyon to a .000 attack percentage. Madison Fortune put the visitors up 9-3 after a kill and later, Hiram led 20-10 following a Ladies attack error. The Terriers eventually won 25-13 to even the match.
 
Third-set action was nearly identical to the second as Hiram attained a 10-3 lead after Kiara Franks and Lindsey Walker combined for a block. The closest Kenyon got the rest of the way was following a kill from Maleah Miller that brought the tally to 11-6.
 
Hiram then wrapped up the match in the fourth. Miller's kill tied the set up at 7-7; however, the visitors hit a 7-1 run to take control, 14-8. Kenyon aided Hiram with four errors during the stretch.
 
Swanson led the Ladies with 11 kills and 19 digs while Howard registered five aces and 16 digs of her own.
 
MATCH TWO
 
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (NAIA) claimed the first two sets and then the fourth  to defeat the Ladies in the final match of the day.
 
The Cougars were down 7-1 in the opening set following a kill from Mackenzie Bruzzio before rallying back. Kenyon led 19-15 and later 22-20 before MVNU tied things up at 22 after a Katelyn Dufur block. Both teams traded points after that before the Cougars secured the last two points on a kill from Mary Kate Harmody and an error.
 
In the second, the visitors raced out to a 13-4 advantage as Kristen Osborn notched three kills while Harmody and Tory Small added two more. That lead ballooned to 17-5 as Osborn registered another point en route to a 25-11 win.
 
The third set was extremely tight throughout. Kenyon held a 17-13 lead before MVNU tied the set at 18. The Ladies then pulled away from the Cougars, going on a 7-3 run highlighted by kills from Tara Ford, Haley Witschey, Miller and Bruzzio.
 
Despite dropping the set, the Cougars were able to prevail in the fourth. Miller's kill had the Ladies down 7-6, but Mount Vernon followed with a massive 12-1 run to seize a commanding 19-7 advantage. Nicole Winkler had three aces and a pair of kills in the sequence to lead the way.
 
Bruzzio had 12 kills to lead the offense while Howard added 15 digs. Meghan Cason handed out 36 assists.
 
The Ladies will be back in action on October 24 at 7 p.m. when they travel to face No. 3 Wittenberg University in another NCAC match.