Volleyball falls in five-set OAC Final Four match

The Muskingum volleyball team fell in a nail-biting five set match to John Carroll in the OAC semifinals. 

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (18-8 Overall), John Carroll (21-7 Overall)
• Location: DeCarlo Varsity Center – University Heights, Ohio
• Attendance: 555

OAC Tournament

• With the win, second-seed John Carroll advances to the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship at Otterbein on Saturday, November 5, at 1:00 p.m.
• Otterbein defeated Marietta 3-1 in the OAC Semifinals to advance to Saturday's championship game. Otterbein is the first overall seed in tournament, and finished with an 8-1 record in the OAC during the regular season.

Notables

• The match marked Muskingum's fifth straight trip to the OAC Tournament semifinals.
• Muskingum finishes the 2022 season with an 18-8 overall record, and will await the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket to determine if they will receive an at-large bid.

How it Happened

• Despite John Carroll jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead in the opening set, Muskingum managed to quickly tie the game back up at 10 apiece.
• Building on their momentum, the Muskies took a lead of their own at 15-12 midway through the opening frame.
• Not looking back, Muskingum cruised to a 25-21 win in the opening frame.
• In set two Muskingum continued their hot play, opening up a quick 5-2 advantage.
• John Carroll recaptured the momentum, slowly chipping at the Muskies' lead until the score was tied at 13-13 midway through the set.
• Despite Muskingum holding a slim 21-20 lead, John Carroll managed to use a 5-2 run to close out the frame and win the second set 25-23.
• In the third set, the Blue Streaks jumped out to a fast 5-1 lead.
• John Carroll didn't look back, winning the third frame 25-17.
• Despite Muskingum jumping out to a 7-2 advantage in the fourth set, John Carroll trimmed Muskingum's lead to 8-7 with a 5-1 run of their own.
• Muskingum recaptured the momentum, using a 7-2 run aided by three services aces to extend their lead to 15-9.
• Not looking back, Muskingum captured the fourth frame 25-20 to push the match to a fifth set.
• In the fifth set both teams played to a 5-5 draw early on. However, John Carroll used four straight points to take a 9-5 lead.
• Despite a late push by Muskingum, the Blue Streaks hung on for a 15-11 win in the fifth frame.

Inside the Numbers

• The Muskies were led by senior Emma Dunham with 18 kills.
• Senior Emma Conrad notched 42 assists, 26 digs, eight kills, and two service aces for Muskingum.
• Junior Khloe Taylor recorded 13 kills for the Muskies, while junior Lexie Huck finished with 12 kills and 14 digs.
• Senior Gracie Collins tallied 23 digs and eight assists for the Muskies, and freshman Alana Alexander added 16 digs.
• Sophomore Grace Pedersen notched 10 digs, and junior Raegan Flood finished with four kills.
• John Carroll was led by Abigail Kirk with 18 kills.
• As a team, Muskingum totaled 66 kills, 55 assists, 102 digs, 11 service aces, and seven blocks.