GRANVILLE, Ohio (Sept. 21) – The Denison University volleyball team hosted a pair of matches Saturday afternoon at Livingston Gymnasium in a non-conference tri-match. 
 
After a long day of volleyball, the Big Red came out with a split of the matches. The Big Red suffered a tough five-set setback to John Carroll in the opener Saturday before bouncing back for a four-set victory over Rose-Hulman. 
 
John Carroll 3, Denison 2 (22-25, 25-14, 25-27, 28-26, 13-15)
 
The Blue Streaks secured the narrow victory over the Big Red in a five-set thriller. The marathon match took more than two hours to decide the winner. 
 
Claire Hamilton registered 27 kills in the five-set loss. The 27 kills rank as the most in a match by an NCAC player this season. The total also ranks sixth among all NCAA Division III players this season.
 
JCU pulled out the opening set by a 25-22 score. Denison led by a 15-12 score after scoring six-straight points. The Big Red seemed poised to take the opening set after a pair of service aces by Whitley Metz, which made it 22-20 in favor of the home team. However, five-straight points allowed the Blue Streaks to take the opening set. 
 
The Big Red took the second set in dominant fashion behind a strong effort. Denison held a sizable 16-6 advantage in kills as they won going away by a 25-14 score. Hamilton had eight kills during the second set. 
 
Denison used that momentum to roll out to a 6-2 lead in the third set behind two kills by Ayla Dunbar and an ace by Metz. The Blue Streaks battled back, and the teams began to exchange leads throughout the remainder of the set. Denison evened the score at 23-23 behind three-straight points. The Big Red eventually forced set point, but the Blue Streaks recorded the final three points to take the set 27-25. 
 
The Blue Streaks pushed out to an 11-5 lead in the fourth set before the Big Red clawed its back way things. Later in the set, John Carroll had two match points, but Denison turned both of those away. The Big Red picked up the final three points of the set to take a 28-26 victory. A block followed by a Hamilton kill and a service ace by Cailey Johns finished off the set win. 
 
The fifth set featured five times before John Carroll eventually secured the victory. The Blue Streaks notched the final three points for a 15-13 win. 
 
Dunbar (17 kills) and Johns (15 kills) joined Hamilton in double figures. 
 
Alice Kempf finished with a career-high 64 assists, added a team-high 19 digs and totaled three blocks. The 64 assists ranks as the third-most in NCAA Division III this year. 
 
Metz finished with a season-high five aces. Johns and Kate Sicklick each recorded three blocks. 
 
Denison 3, Rose-Hulman 1 (25-19, 26-24, 23-25, 25-18)
 
The Big Red pulled away late to take the opening set by a 25-19 score. Denison recorded six of the final seven points to finish off the set one win. Three service aces by Kempf fueled the victory. 
 
The second set was back and forth with the two teams trading points. RHIT held set point at 24-23 before Denison escaped with a 26-24 win with the final three points. An assisted block by Sicklick and Kempf gave Denison a 2-0 lead heading to the third. 
 
Denison seemed poised to take the third set for a sweep. The Big Red held five-point leads on two occasions at 12-7 and 14-9 before the Engineers battled back. RHIT pulled in front before the teams exchanged points down the stretch. The Engineers eventually led by three points at 24-21. Despite a pair of points by Denison, RHIT finished things off with a kill to make it 25-23. 
 
The Big Red eased its way to victory in the fourth set. Denison pushed out to a 7-2 lead following back-to-back kills by Sicklick and Hamilton. Despite a threat by RHIT, Denison was able to maintain its lead throughout the remainder of the set. 
 
After RHIT pulled within one at 18-17, Denison scored seven of the final eight points to take the set and match. A service ace by Ryan Kotalik and a pair of kills by Dunbar highlighted the run. 
 
Hamilton recorded 21 kills in the victory. Johns and Maeve Perry finished with 13 kills and 12 kills, respectively. 
 
Kempf tacked on 53 more assists in the match versus RHIT. Johns totaled five blocks to lead all players in the match. Sadie Habeeb picked up 20 digs while Metz tallied 17 digs.
 
Notes: Overall, Hamilton racked up 48 kills during action Saturday. Hamilton has totaled 71 kills in three home matches this season. Hamilton has at least 20 kills in each match at Livingston Gym in 2024. 
 
Kempf totaled 117 assists and 30 digs during Saturday's action. 
 
Up Next: Denison welcomes 18th ranked and unbeaten Marietta College to Livingston Gymnasium for a non-conference match on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.