DELAWARE, Ohio -- The Kenyon College volleyball team took a trip to Delaware, Ohio to battle the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops, but the Owls came out on the wrong end of a 3-0 sweep in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchup. The Owls (7-16, 1-2 NCAC) pulled closer each set, but the hosting Bishops (11-9, 2-1 NCAC) set the tone early, winning 25-10, 25-12, 25-20.

Ohio Wesleyan orchestrated an efficient offensive outing, hitting .302 as a team while holding Kenyon to a .032 clip, the Owls' second-lowest hitting percentage of the season. The Bishops had 15 more kills, 37-22, than the Owls, while Kenyon committed twice the errors, 19-8, that OWU did.

Kenyon's woes started in the first set, as the Owls were held to a -.115 hitting percentage. Despite the slow start, the Owls improved their efficiency in each subsequent set. Kenyon climbed out of the negatives to hit .000 in set two before posting a .176 third-set hitting percentage.

Ohio Wesleyan led wire-to-wire over the first two sets, but Kenyon started the must-win third set with a 9-5 lead. However, the Battling Bishops bounced back with a 9-2 run, and the home team clinched the sweep despite Kenyon keeping it close at 25-20.

Olivia Gumz and Aura Barinas led the Owls with five kills apiece, followed closely by Sophia Menke's four. Barinas paced Kenyon in points (6.5), but Gumz was Kenyon's most efficient hitter (.200). Hannah Schwemm dished out a team-high 16 assists, while Lauren Blakemore (13) and Arianna Flota (10) racked up double-digit digs. Blakemore's digs led all players, but no Kenyon defender had an answer for OWU's Natalie Dieball, who tallied 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage.

Up next, the Owls have a weekend off before road games at Hiram College and The College of Wooster next week. The NCAC clashes are set for October 23 and October 26, respectively, Kenyon's last times playing away from home for the rest of the regular season.