Julia Clark's kill at the end of game four sent the match to a fifth and deciding frame against Oberlin
Box Score
The John Carroll volleyball team is picking the right time to embark on a season-long winning streak.
The Blue Streaks have now won four consecutive matches for the first time in over a year, the latest victory a come-from-behind effort against Oberlin College by the final tally of 17-25, 25-13, 18-25, 25-15, 15-9.
"Oberlin presented challenges, and we had to evolve as the match went on," said Laura Jensen, the first-year mentor of the Blue Streaks
The Streaks certainly did evolve throughout this marathon match. A slow start in game one, where JCU had nearly as many errors (8) as kills (9), resulted in a 25-17 setback to the visiting Yeowomen. However, game two had a completely different atmosphere as the Streaks started out strong from the beginning and took the win, 25-13.
Game three was a battle as JCU started out crisp and took a 5-0 lead, but fell to Oberlin in the end, 25-18.
The Streaks came back and took command of game four, with aces from both
Sara Kaminski and
Charlotte Sykora.
Julia Clark finished the game on a kill giving the Blue Streaks the win at 25-15.
In the final game, it was a tight contest until a remarkable play by
Teresa Noewer saved the point and
Sarah Orlandi finished it to put John Carroll ahead, 9-7. With the crowd fired up by the dramatic play, John Carroll won six of the next eight points to close out Oberlin, 15-9.
Sykora stood out tonight with 11 kills and a team-high five blcoks.
“Charlotte did really well tonight," said Jensen. "She is a stabilizer for our younger girls.".
Noewer and Orlandi also had strong offensive matches, contributing 14 and ten kills for JCU respectively.
Jensen is hopeful that the Blue Streaks will use this non-conference win as momentum as they go into the bulk of their season, beginning with a key date at home against leage rival Mount Union on October 9..
“This four-game winning streak is huge for our younger players as they build their confidence up for the heart of our conference season coming up," said Jensen. "It will definitely keep them motivated.”
