Muskingum Volleyball falls to Ohio Northern in the OAC Tournament Championship game

The Muskingum volleyball team fell to 20th-ranked Ohio Northern 3-1 (16-25, 27-25, 21-25, 16-25) in the OAC Tournament Championship match on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

• Record: Muskingum (25-7 overall, 7-2 in the OAC)
• Location: Ada, Ohio – ONU Sports Center
• Game Duration: 1:55
• Attendance: 463

Notables 

• The Muskies finish their season 25-7 overall and 7-2 in the OAC. This marked the seventh time in school history that Muskingum has finished runner-up in the OAC Tournament.
• This season, the Muskies registered 11 consecutive wins, 15 straight-set victories, and notched a spot in the OAC Tournament Finals for the first time since 2006.
• The Muskies now await the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket on Monday, November 5, at 12:30 p.m. to see if they will receive an at-large bid into the national tournament.

How it Happened

• Muskingum fell in set one (16-25), locked in set two (27-25), stumbled in set three (21-25), and fell short in set four (16-25).
• Sophomore Brooke Fatheree led the Muskies with 15 kills, 27 digs, and 18 points.
• Sophomore Kaitlin Goedde and sophomore Brynn Guist added 11 kills each.
• Sophomore Erin Dickson registered a team-best 37 assists.
• Sophomore Jessica Cottle anchored the Muskie backline with 33 digs.
• Senior Jordan Youngs logged 13 digs.
• As a team, the Muskies notched 49 kills, 43 assists, and 111 digs.

Inside the Sets 

• In set one, the Polar Bears jumped out to an early lead of 6-3 and later expanded their margin to 10-3. The Muskies fought to trim the deficit but couldn't overcome the early gap as Ohio Northern won the first set.
• In set two, the Muskies and Polar Bears fought neck and neck with neither team claiming more than a two-point lead early on. The thrilling set remained tight until the Muskies were able to fend off the Polar Bears with two straight points to lock in the 27-25 victory.
• The battle continued into the third set until the Polar Bears registered back-to-back points to extend their lead to 17-12. The Muskies were able to trim the advantage but a kill by McKenna Jordan notched the 25-21 win for the Polar Bears.
• In the fourth set, the Muskies and Polar Bears battled side by side until the Polar Bears slid past the Muskies with a score of 13-10. The Muskies fought back but were unable to stop Ohio Northern's efforts. The Polar Bears locked in the final point of the set to secure the OAC Championship for the third consecutive year.