SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The Kenyon College volleyball team finished their 2022 campaign on a high note, upending the No. 6-seeded College of Wooster before falling to Ohio Wesleyan University, the No. 3 seed, in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The No. 7-seeded Owls started strong with a 3-1 upset against the Fighting Scots before falling 3-0 to the Battling Bishops, ending their postseason push.

Kenyon's triumph over the Wooster Fighting Scots in the first round of the NCAC volleyball tournament was tightly contested throughout. Still, the Owls came through in the match's most significant moments and finished strongly to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Owls opened the first set in a 4-1 hole, but they quickly got back on track, tying the game up 6-6 before going on a small run of their own to bring the score to 10-6. In a microcosm of the seesaw match, the Scots tied things up at 10-10 immediately after. Both teams played quality volleyball at that point in the set; trading kills back and forth with few errors. 

The back-and-forth nature of the set continued until the score reached 21-21 when Paige Milhon forced a Wooster attack error with a block to put the Owls up by one. Elizabeth Sonza then fired a service ace to make it 23-22. The Scots scored the next point to get within one, but the Owls would not relent. Kathryn McCaffrey and Rebecca Gwynne recorded back-to-back kills, and Kenyon took the set 25-22.

The second set started much like the first, with Kenyon trailing by four early only to quickly tie it up. Like the first set, the Owls were all tied up near the end of the game at 22-22 before two Macy Reimbold kills gave them a 24-22 advantage. Despite only needing to score one point to take the set, Kenyon could close it out, allowing Wooster to sneak back into the set and match with a 27-25 win.

Owls started from behind in set three, but they steadily began to claw their way back, tying things up at 16-16. With their newfound momentum, the Owls started attacking with more confidence and success. While the set remained close, they pulled away on a 9-4 run to take the set 25-20 and go up two sets to one.

The strong run of play from the end of the third set carried over into the fourth, where the Owls were dominant from start to finish. Kenyon cruised the whole way through, leading by as many as nine points before a Maggie Wolf kill secured them a 25-18 win in the set and a three-sets-to-one victory over the Scots, propelling Kenyon to a spot in the tournament quarterfinals.

After the opening match, Paige Milhon was honored as a member of the All-NCAC Second Team for her tremendous season for the Owls. It was Milhon's second All-NCAC honor after being named an honorable mention in 2021. Fittingly, Kenyon's middle hitter was brilliant against Wooster, leading the Owls in kills with eleven and blocks with four.

The senior kept shining in Kenyon's quarterfinal matchup with Ohio Wesleyan, leading the Owls with 10 kills, a .421 hitting percentage, and two blocks. However, the Owls could not overcome the No. 3-seeded Battling Bishops, falling in straight sets to end their time in the tournament.

After a first-round bye that allowed the team to rest while Kenyon battled Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan put their extra energy to use in a strong first set. The Battling Bishops built a 10-4 lead before Kenyon cut the deficit in half, but OWU kept their foot on the gas and raced ahead 20-8 to put the Owls in a deep hole. Refusing to go down quietly, Kenyon compiled an 8-3 run capped by three consecutive points by Milhon after two kills and a block assist. Still, OWU closed the door and took an early 1-0 lead, winning 25-17.

The following two sets were closely contested as the Owls upped their hitting percentage every set, but Kenyon was on the wrong end of a 25-20 score each time. OWU led by as many as six (19-13) in set two, but Kenyon pulled within two at 21-19. However, the Battling Bishops again pulled the plug, ending the set on a 4-1 run.

With their season on the line, the Owls came out firing in the third set and built a 10-4 lead to force an OWU timeout. The teams traded runs until Kenyon found themselves up 16-11, but that is as far as the Owls could push the lead. Kenyon conceded four straight points on a service error, two setting errors, and an ace. Lindsey Abramson stopped the stretch after a timeout with a kill, but OWU stormed in front 20-17 with five straight points on three kills and two aces.

Not wanting their volleyball careers to end, Milhon and Reimbold sparked a three-point run with kills, but they could not put the Owls back in front. Ohio Wesleyan closed the match on another 5-0 run, clinching the straight-set sweep and sending Kenyon home.

Reimbold finished with seven kills on a .250 clip against OWU while adding five digs. Senior setter Jac Cousineau dished out 11 assists and seven digs in match two after a 16-assist, 10-dig double-double against Wooster. The senior setter surpassed the 1000 assists milestone after Kenyon's win, and her 4.09 assists per set are eighth-best in program history.

Kenyon finished the season with a 5-21 record and was 2-5 in the NCAC. The Owls will be without the services of eight graduating seniors next season, but the future is bright as eight first-year players and junior Lindsey Abramson are set to carry the torch as the Owls look to build upon their strong 2022 campaign in 2023.