SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Playing its second and final day as part of the annual Great Lakes Cross Over, the Kenyon College volleyball team had two tests on the schedule as the Owls played Saint Mary's College (IN) in the morning and John Carroll University in the afternoon. Unfortunately for Kenyon, the team is still looking for its first win of the season after falling 3-0 in each match.

Kenyon's day began against the Belles of Saint Mary's, and the Owls opened with their best set of the match, hitting .222. Unfortunately, their opponents also had their most efficient showing in the first set as Saint Mary's hit .345 en route to a 25-20 first-set win. The margins grew larger from there, as the Belles clinched the sweep with victories of 25-18 and 25-15 in the subsequent sets. The win kept Saint Mary's (3-0) undefeated in their opening weekend while dropping the Owls to 0-2.

Sophia Menke led Kenyon with nine points in the match, registering seven kills while hitting .231 and tallying two blocks. Aura Barinas paced the Owls with eight kills, while both Becca Gwynne and Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese had five. In her first match of the season, Maggie Wolf notched a double-double with team-highs of 11 digs and 10 assists. The Owls were plus-four in blocks with a 7-3 edge, but the Belles built a big advantage in the service game as they accounted for 16 aces compared to Kenyon's three.

The Owls had to wait a little longer than expected for their day's second match after John Carroll (3-1) endured a tough, five-set loss immediately before lining up against Kenyon, but the Blue Streaks prevented a losing streak by coming out hot against the Owls. John Carroll won the first set 25-17 despite hitting just .119, but their defense held the Owls to a .071 clip. Kenyon bounced back and held a late 22-20 lead in the second set, but the Blue Streaks rode a .231-.045 hitting advantage to a tight 26-24 win. John Carroll continued to heat up in the clinching third set, winning 25-15 and hitting .321.

Barinas again led the Owls offense, compiling 10 points on 10 kills and hitting a team-best .280. The junior's defense led to a double-double as she added 10 digs, tying for the team-high. Hannah Schwemm also doubled down after combining 10 digs with a team-leading 16 assists. Olivia Gumz nearly added to the double-double duo, finishing with eight kills and seven digs.

The Owls will look to add their first win of the season in front of their home fans as Kenyon hosts a match at Tomsich Arena for the first time this season on Wednesday, September 4. Bluffton University will head to Gambir for the 7 p.m. contest, and Kenyon's home opener will also serve as the team's Morgan Message Game.