The John Carroll volleyball team went to battle with the University of Mount Union on Tuesday night in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. After nearly two hours and after almost 200 points were played, the visiting Purple Raiders came out victorious.  

All the separated the two teams was two points.

Both teams came into the match 5-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, sharing the spot for third place.  John Carroll was defeated for just the second time at home this season by a final count of  25-14, 16-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-17.

John Carroll took the first set 25-14.  Leah Switalski led the Blue Streak offense with five explosive kills. Alexa Webber also added four kills. Caitlin Cianciolo put away the closely played set with back to back service aces to give the Blue Streaks the 1-0 advantage. Cianciolo finished the match with four total aces.

The Purple Raiders responded strong in the second set opening up a quick 10-4 lead.  John Carroll went on a run to get back in the game but could not reign back in the lead from Mount Union. The Blue Streaks lost the second set with a score of 25-16.

Mount Union continued its success in the third set taking the game 25-17.  Webber led the Blue Streak offense with four kills. Julianne McGervey recorded two important kills, but a combination of Blue Streak errors left John Carroll short.

John Carroll responded and came out firing in the fourth set, opening up an early 10-4 lead. Kit O'Shaugnessy ignited the offense with three kills and 15 assists. Webber also added four more kills for the Blue Streaks. John Carroll came out on top with a final score of 25-16.

The fifth set was a closely fought battle between both teams. JCU led early, and held an 8-4 advantage when the two teams made the mid-set switch. but Mount Union would close the gap and tie the final frame at 13-13.

The two teams trade sideouts over the next four points to keep the score tied at 15-15, but two Purple Raider kills would ice the match for the visitors.

Webber led the Blue and Gold with 17 kills, while Switalski and McGervey added 15 and 13 respectively. O'Shaughnessy had a match-high 47 assists, and her total career assists now stands at 3,936.

Kyleigh Jackson carried the Purple Raiders with 18 kills while Allison baird had a match-best 29 digs.

JCU concludes its regular season at home on Saturday against Muskingum. A victory would secure home court for the Blue Streaks in the quarterfinal round of next week's OAC Tournament.