COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University volleyball team took to the court back in their home gym against the ever-tough Ohio Northern University Polar Bears and came out on the wrong end of a 3-1 decision in the end.
On a day in which the Comets hosted their Dig Pink match in support of Side-Out Cancer, Capital gave the Polar Bears everything they could muster for four sets. The Polar Bears have been receiving votes in the national rankings all season.
In the end, Capital fell 15-25, 21-25, 25-22, and 12-25. They now sit at 8-12 overall and 0-3 in the OAC. Ohio Northern improved to 13-5 on the year and 3-0 in conference play.
The Polar Bears handled the first two sets, hitting .300 or better in both sets. Many of the ONU kills came courtesy of hitting the ball off the Comet block and making things that much more difficult. Despite that, Capital managed five blocks throughout the day, many of which came from
Caleigh Hamby – the senior who put together one of the better games of her career in the game. More on that later in the recap.
After getting behind 2-0, the Comets struck back for a truly back-and-forth affair in the third set to extend the life of the match. The third set featured 16 tied scores and seven lead changes, to which the Comets eventually garnered full control at 22-22. A service error from ONU's Hannah Irmer followed by back-to-back attack errors by Sonia Dahlin allowed Capital to claim the set.
The Polar Bears then took the third to fourth set break to regroup and took it to the Comets in the fourth set by pounding down 15 kills and just two errors on 32 attempts – good for a .406 hitting percentage. On the flipside, Capital managed just nine kills on 39 attempts, making things that much more difficult to regroup.
THE NUMBERS
Capital's
Caleigh Hamby had a game, slamming down 13 kills and just one error on 17 swings – good for a phenomenal .706 hitting percentage. In addition to her offensive work, she accounted for four total blocks – a solo swat and three assists. Her 13 kills tied a career-high which she set previously on October 13, 2021.
Alissa Holler tied Hamby for a team-best in kills with 13. She added two digs and two block assists as well.
Larissa Smith also attacked efficiently out of the middle with seven kills on 16 swings (.375). She added one solo block to her performance as well.
Reagan Willoughby guided the offense all day, setting up a new career-high 38 assists. Her previous best was 33 at Wilmington on April 6, 2021.
Abby Brunner handled the bulk of the back row duties with 18 digs. She also landed a game-high three service aces.
Paree Furness added eight digs, while
Olivia Spillers contributed seven of her own.
THE OPPONENT
Kills - Kaidie Carstensen (18)
Assists - Caroline Hensley (22)
Aces - Grace Irmer (3)
Blocks - Sonia Dahlin (4)
Digs - Rachel Jennings (24)
UP NEXT
Capital will regroup for another difficult test as another receiving votes team visits the Capital Center in the form of Muskingum University on Wednesday, October 12th at 7 p.m.
