The Denison University volleyball team earned their fourth consecutive win after garnering a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-13) decision over Kenyon College on Friday night in Granville. The victory marks the first time the Big Red have won four in a row since 2007.
The opening game was a back-and-forth affair between the two North Coast Athletic Conference rivals. Neither team took a distinct advantage to the latter stages of the game. Tied 20-20, DU rattled off two straight to take a 22-20 lead. Serving for game point at 24-22, junior Lauren Weidner (Lake Barrington, Ill./Barrington) recorded as ace to give the Big Red an early one-game edge.
Game two started like the first with the two schools battling hard. With the score tied at 7-7, Denison went on a tear and opened up an 11-point advantage (18-7). Thanks to aggressive play at the net and great defensive play, the home team took a 2-0 match lead.
In the third game, the Big Red jumped out to a commanding 10-1 lead in no time at all. Kenyon tried to battled back and cut the deficit to five (12-7), but costly unforced errors proved to be too much to overcome for the young Ladies' squad. With KC serving numerous match points, sophomore Lauren Strowder (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) finally closed the door on a come back with a monsters kill from the right side.
Strowder finished the game with a team-high 10 kills, while sophomore setter Claire Koneval (Solon, Ohio/Solon) dished off 41 assists. Defensively, senior Holly Leonard (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) recorded 15 digs, while sophomore Megan Early (Findlay, Ohio/Van Buren) tied her career-high with six blocks.
Denison improves to 5-15 overall and 4-2 in the conference while Kenyon falls to 4-18 on the year and 1-6 in league play. DU returns to action Saturday (Oct. 10) when they travel to Oberlin College to take on the Yeowomen. Match time is scheduled for 1 p.m.