Scots at Oberlin Wednesday in Lone Match of Week

KateLynn Riley

The College of Wooster, currently in fourth-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference, has a light week ahead of it with just one match scheduled. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, Wooster will be at eighth-place Oberlin College (3-9, 0-3 NCAC), with opening serve slated for 7 p.m. The Fighting Scots have not lost to Oberlin since 2000, including a non-league victory earlier this fall at the Westminster Invitational where they prevailed 26-30, 30-21, 27-30, 30-23, 16-14. Noteworthy, Wooster was also originally scheduled to play at Kenyon College this Saturday, Sept. 29, however, Kenyon recently withdrew its volleyball program from NCAA competition for this season due to roster size.

Last Week: The Scots split four matches last week, including going 2-1 in conference play, while moving their overall record to 6-11.

On Sept. 18, Wooster came back from a two games-to-zero deficit and upended host Allegheny College 19-30, 24-30, 30-27, 30-21, 15-13 for its initial NCAC victory of the year. Leading the Scots offensively was senior Erin Wright (Akron, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) with 18 kills, part of a .368 attack percentage, and seven total blocks. Classmate Carolyn Ciriegio (Covington, Ohio / Covington) smacked 12 kills of her own and sophomore KateLynn Riley (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) added 10 while committing just one attack error. Senior setter Heather Wolff (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison Comprehensive) passed out 52 assists, while junior defensive standout Ali Drushal (Lakeville, Ohio / West Holmes) had 38 digs.

On Sept. 21, Wooster again fought back from an early hole to pull out a win, this time besting league foe Earlham College 18-30, 30-28, 30-24, 30-25 at Timken Gym. It was a balanced attack, as Riley, Wright, and junior Megan Earle (Middleburg Hts., Ohio / Midpark) finshed with 14, 13, and 10 kills, respectively. Riley also had a team-high in blocks with five, including three solos. Wolff contributed 41 assists and Drushal dug out 40 balls.

On Sept. 22, the Scots hosted a tri-match against regional powers Wittenberg University and Mt. Union College, dropping 3-0 decisions to both. Wooster’s top hitter on the day was Riley, who registered eight kills in each match, while junior Abbie Casey (Prospect, Ohio / Marion Pleasant) shifted to the setter role and combined for 47 assists. Defensively, Drushal totaled 51 digs, averaging 8.50 per game, and Wright was credited with four blocks.