Volleyball bows out of OAC Tournament with tight 25-18, 29-31, 25-23, 26-24 loss to Muskingum
By Tim Glon
ADA — The Ohio Northern volleyball team bowed out of the 2022 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament with a tight 25-18, 29-31, 25-23, 26-24 loss to Muskingum on Tuesday night at the ONU Sports Center.
The third-seeded Polar Bears end their season with a 16-10 record, while the sixth-seeded Muskies improve to 18-10 and advance to the semifinals to play at top-seeded Otterbein on Thursday.
Sophomore Erin Wagner (Massillon/Perry) had 20 kills and junior Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) had 15 kills to lead ONU.
Khloe Taylor had 17 kills to lead four MU players in double figures in kills.
The Muskies went on a 6-2 run to take control of the first set at 19-12. Northern got within 21-17, but the visitors would score four of the final five points to win the opener.
ONU raced to a 7-1 lead in Set 2, only to see MU battle back to tie the match at 9-all. Ohio Northern slowly pulled out to a 22-18 advantage, but Muskingum scored the next six points to go ahead 24-22.
A kill by Ehlinger keyed a 3-0 run to put ONU back up 25-24.
MU led 29-28 when a kill by sophomore Sonia Dahlin (Minnetonka, Minn.) and a block by Dahlin and sophomore Lauren James (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) gave ONU a 30-29 lead.
With ONU out of substitutions, sophomore defensive specialist Rachel Jennings (Novi, Mich.) found herself on the front row and combined with James to end the set with a block, which was the first of Jennings' collegiate career.
MU went on a 7-1 run to grab a 20-13 lead in set three, but Northern answered with a 7-2 run to climb back within 24-23.
But a kill by Taylor gave Muskingum the set 25-23.
Neither team led by more than three points at any point in Set 4, but MU would end the set on an 8-3 run to turn a 21-18 deficit into a 26-24 win.
Ohio Northern hit .185 for the match with 64 kills and 24 errors on 216 attacks, while Muskingum hit .212 with 67 kills and 24 errors on 203 attempts.
