#21 Volleyball sweeps OAC-foe John Carroll on final day of ONU Triangular

By Caleb Scott

ADA — The No. 21-ranked Ohio Northern volleyball team wrapped up the final day of the ONU Triangular with a 3-0 sweep over Ohio Athletic Conference-foe John Carroll on Saturday afternoon at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears improve to 21-4 overall and 4-1 in the OAC, while the Blue Streaks drop to 5-20, 1-4.

Sophomore McKenna Jordan (Toledo/St. Ursula) led the way offensively with a game-high 11 kills, while sophomore Chelsea Huppert (Bremen, Ind.) added nine kills for ONU.

Freshman Katie Wade (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek) recorded a game-high 34 assists and added eight digs, while senior Megan Nieszala (Lambertville, Mich./St. Marys Catholic Central) posted a team-best 16 digs.

The first set was all ONU as the Polar Bears raced out to a 9-1 lead led by four kills from Jordan.

After ONU extended its lead to 18-8, JCU fought back to close the gap to 18-12.

From there, Northern used a 7-2 run capped by a kill from junior Josie Andres (Sunman, Ind./East Central) to take the first set.

Northern was again able to jump out to a big lead in the second set before JCU chipped away to climb within 11-10.

A quick 4-0 run allowed Northern to regain control of the set, before going on to claim the second set 25-18.

After a JCU miscue and back-to-back service aces from senior Haley Potters (Wheelersburg/South Webster), Northern grabbed a quick 14-4 lead in the final set.

After JCU climbed within 19-11, Northern would use a 6-2 run to seal the victory as freshman Paige Hartings (Coldwater) completed the sweep with a kill.

Northern hit .364 in the first set, before wrapping the match up with an impressive hitting percentage of .433 in the final set.

The Polar Bears return to action on Tuesday evening as they travel to Wilmington to take on the Quakers at 7 pm.