No. 8 Volleyball runs win streak to nine, tops area-rival Defiance in four sets

By Tim Glon

ADA — The No. 8-ranked Ohio Northern volleyball squad ran its winning streak to nine matches with a 25-10, 25-16, 15-25, 25-16 victory over area-rival Defiance on Wednesday evening at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears' 9-0 start to the season marks the third-best start in school history and is the best start since the 1999 squad won its first 10 matches.

The school record is 18 straight to open the 1990 campaign.

Freshman Taylor Baxter (Bellevue) led a balanced ONU attack with 10 kills.

Senior Melina Woods (Ada) had nine kills, sophomore Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) had eight kills, sophomore Kassie Bowmar (Sunbury/Big Walnut) had seven kills and freshman Emma Strozewski (Lakeville, Minn./North) and freshman Sonia Dahlin (Minnetonka, Minn.) each had six kills.

In all, ONU played 19 players with 10 different players registering at least one kill.

Northern finished the match hitting .320 with 55 kills and 14 errors on 128 attempts. DC hit .136 with 35 kills and 18 errors on 125 attacks.

ONU started the match on an 8-0 run and were not threatened in the 25-10 win, hitting .452 in the opening set.

Northern went to its bench in the second set and used a 9-4 run to take a late 23-15 lead. The hosts hit .385 with 17 kills and only two errors.

Defiance rallied in set three as the Polar Bears went deeper into their bench, hitting .-083, and the guests built a large early lead and held on for the 25-15 victory while hitting .500 with 13 kills on only 22 attempts.

The starters returned for ONU in the fourth set and the Polar Bears hit .412 with 15 kills and only one error while holding the Yellow Jackets to .029 hitting to finish the match.

The Polar Bears return to action Saturday against Denison and Wooster at the Wooster Kilt Classic.