WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The Capital University volleyball team wrapped up play in their 2021 season with a tri-match split on the campus of Otterbein University on Saturday afternoon. The Comets lost their OAC match-up to the hosts, Otterbein 3-0, before holding on for a 3-1 win over non-conference foe Hiram College in the second match. 

Capital concludes the season with a 7-15 overall record and a 1-8 mark in the OAC. 

After falling to the Cardinals in the morning match in straight sets, Capital defeated their third NCAC opponent of the season in four sets, taking both the first and second sets in overtime. 
Despite a slow start to their day, the Capital players put together a solid stat line to wrap up the season. 

MATCH ONE: Otterbein wins 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-19)
The first match went in favor of the No. 23 ranked Cardinals. The Capital offense struggled to get going, tallying just 18 kills in the three sets. 

Delanie Nahikian had a team-best seven kills on 18 swings, good for a .333 hitting percentage. Alissa Holler and Audrey James each had four kills as well for Cap. Jordyn Hoffman set up 16 assists in the match. Defensively, Erin O'Connell had a team-best 14 digs, while Paree Furness had 11 digs. Up front, Larissa Smith, Nahikian, and Caleigh Hamby all accounted for blocks. 

Julia Vermilion paced Otterbein's offense with 14 kills. Carlie Craycraft had 33 assists in facilitation. Bridget Oder led the match with 15 digs. 

MATCH TWO: Capital wins 3-1 (29-27, 26-24, 18-25, 25-14)
Capital was firing on all cylinders against Hiram in the second match, accounting for a great four-set match, marking the third time this season that they defeated an NCAC opponent after they had previously defeated Kenyon and Wooster. 

Nahikian once again led the Capital offense with 19 kills this time. She hit a solid .250 percentage enroute to her second best offensive game this season. Smith and Holler each had 10 kills to balance out the Cap offense that amassed 54 kills as a team. Both Smith and Hoffman hit at above .400 in the attack, significantly helping the team's efforts. Hoffman also tied a season and career best with 42 assists in the match. 

Defensively, O'Connell once again led the team, this time picking up 27 digs. A resilient back row effort saw four players reach double digits in digs. Supporting O'Connell's efforts were Miranda Jordan with 16, Nahikian with 14, and Furness with 13. Up front, the block was in full effect as Cap combined on 14 block assists. Smith was in on five of those, while James, Nahikian, and Hamby combined for seven others. 

Miranda Jordan had one ace on the Terriers which gave her an even 100 for her career at Capital. 

On Hiram's side of the net, Kiara Franks and Kayla Cole each had 16 kills. Mary Landis led the team with 24 assists, while Mackenzie Brannon had 33 digs. 

CLOSING THE BOOK
The Comets closed the book on the 2021 season after today's matches and will now look to re-group and come back ready to contend further next season. 

Today's match also draws the conclusion to the careers of four Capital seniors -- Erin O'Connell, Miranda Jordan, Delanie Nahikian, and Jenay Kocsis. The four seniors have left a lasting impact on the program and have all surpassed numerous career milestones during their tenure with the Purple and White.