Delaware, Ohio- The Denison Big Red volleyball team continued their season with a Saturday doubleheader at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. To kick off the day, the Big Red played its second conference matchup with the host school. The Big Red fell short in the first match of the day, dropping to the Battling Bishops in a 3-1 decision. 

In the second match of the day, Denison faced off with the Spartans of Case Western Reserve. The Big Red ultimately fell in the final match, falling to 8-10 on the season following a 3-1 decision.

Up Next: Next Saturday, the Big Red will travel up North to take on the conference's newest member, John Carroll.

Match 1 (Denison 1, Ohio Wesleyan 3) (13-25, 20-25, 25-17, 14-25)

Playing in enemy territory, the Big Red picked up the first point of the first set. The conference foe would go on two different six-point runs, eventually stealing the early momentum of the match to claim the opening set.

In the second set, Denison battled to an early 5-4 lead; however, Ohio Wesleyan would go on to take a decisive seven-point lead late. Taking advantage of multiple errors, the Big Red were able to fight back, aided by kills from Claire Hamilton and Maeve Perry. Ultimately, it was not enough, and Ohio Wesleyan would go up two sets heading into set three.

Needing just one set to sweep Denison, the Battling Bishops jumped out to a commanding lead. With backs against the wall, the Big Red scrapped, collecting 14 of the following 17 points to move the game back in favor of Denison, 20-15. The Big Red capitalized on two late errors and was propelled by back-to-back aces from Alice Kempf. Emma Hampton secured the set win with a kill to give Denison its first win of the day.

In the end, Ohio Wesleyan was able to regroup and take the fourth and final set in a dominant fashion. The Big Red dropped to 0-2 in the conference and 8-9 overall with the loss. The kill column was evenly spread in Denison's first match of the day. Maeve Perry, Ayla Dunbar, and Kate Sicklick led the way with eight, seven, and six, respectively. Dunbar also tacked on five service aces. Alice Kempf tallied 23 assists in the loss.

Match 2 (Denison 1, Case Western Reserve 3)(19-25, 25-20, 19-25, 18-25)

Coming off a hard-fought loss in match one, the Big Red started the first set out slowly. Playing from behind, the Big Red were able to get within reach but could not regain the lead. Claire Hamilton, Maeve Perry, and Kate Sicklick added late kills to give the Big Red a spark heading into set two.

Using the late spark, the Big Red jumped out to a quick lead. Ohio Wesleyan was able to knot it back up at 11 all. Leading by just one point, Denison knocked out five of the last six points to earn the second set victory. A trio of kills from Ayla Dunbar, a kill by Kate Sicklick, and a service ace from Ryan Kotalik sealed the tying set. 

Following the second set, the Bishops took the final two sets in commanding fashion. With two losses on the day, the Big Red drops to 8-10 on the season. In the second match, Ayla Dunbar knocked 18 kills while Claire Hamilton recorded 13 kills. Alice Kempf and Katelyn Chiu led the assist column, notching 26 and 20, respectively.