CLEVELAND, OH – No. 3 seeded Ohio Wesleyan and No. 4 seeded Denison claimed the quarterfinal round of the 2025 NCAC Volleyball Tournament over No. 6 Kenyon and No. 5 DePauw. OWU defeated the Owls 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-13) while Denison outlasted the Tigers in five sets (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13).
With the wins, Ohio Wesleyan and Denison advance into the semifinal round. The Big Red will take on No. 1 seeded Wittenberg and the Battling Bishops will face No. 2 seeded John Carroll. As the top seed, the Wittenberg Tigers will host the final two rounds of the tournament on Friday, November 14th and Saturday, November 15th in Springfield, Ohio.
#3 OHIO WESLEYAN (15-13) 3, #6 KENYON (6-19) 0
- Kenyon came out strong in the opening set, trading points with the Battling Bishops behind steady play from sophomore Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese (Winona, MN/Winona) and senior Becca Gwynne (Chapel Hill, NC/Carrboro), who combined for several early kills to pace the Owls’ attack. Kenyon led midway through the first set before OWU used a late surge, sparked by a pair of kills from junior Mason Campbell (Pickerington, OH/Central), to take the opener, 25-23.
- Ohio Wesleyan kept its rhythm in the second set, using steady offense from Campbell, senior Megan Lantis (Wooster, OH/Wooster), and first-year Abby Nulph (West Jefferson, OH/West Jefferson) to stay in front. Senior Lily Bechina (Chicago, IL/Jones College Prep) continued to run a balanced attack for OWU, while Kenyon battled back to even the score at 13-13. The Battling Bishops then closed on a decisive run to take the second set, 25-17.
- In the third set, OWU raced out to an early lead and never looked back. Campbell and Lantis continued to pace the Bishop offense, while Nulph added several kills and a late service ace to close the match.
- Ohio Wesleyan was led by Campbell, who recorded a match-high .483 hitting percentage and 17 kills to go along with seven digs. Senior Bella Guzzetta (Boca Raton, FL/Spanish River) paced the defense with 13 digs, and Bechina dished out a game-high 34 assists to guide the Bishops’ offense.
- Kenyon was led by Rumpca-Veronese, who finished with eight kills, nine digs, and one ace. Junior Hannah Schwemm (Pleasant Hill, IA/Southeast Polk) tallied 18 assists and seven digs while senior Lauren Blakemore (Columbia, MO/Hallsville) helped anchor the Owl’s back row with nine digs.
- Ohio Wesleyan finished with 46 kills and a .288 hitting percentage, while Kenyon totaled 26 kills at .144. The Bishops also led in assists (45-24), digs (53-43), aces (8-2), and blocks (6-0).
#4 DENISON (14-15) 3, #5 DEPAUW (12-15) 2
- DePauw opened the match strong, taking the first set 25-20 behind efficient play from sophomore Madeline Ozersky (St. Louis, MO/Marquette), who tallied several early kills to pace the Tigers’ offense.
- Denison responded in the second set with one of its best offensive stretches of the match, hitting .520 as junior Maeve Perry (Indianapolis, IN/Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School) and first-year Emily Monachino (Cleveland, OH/Hawken) combined for six of the Big Red’s 13 kills. Senior setter Alice Kempf (Louisville, KY/Sacred Heart Academy) spread the attack effectively, while sophomore Kate Sicklick (Tiburon, CA/Redwood) added timely service pressure to help Denison even the match with a 25-16 win.
- The Tigers reclaimed momentum in the third, edging Denison 25-23 after key plays from sophomore Addison Hooker (Deerfield, IL/Deerfield) and junior Kaiden Harrington (Ellettsville, IN/Edgewood) at the net.
- The Big Red answered in the fourth, building a steady lead behind Sicklick, Monachino, and Perry. Junior Claire Hamilton (Lower Merion, PA/Lower Merion) added several late kills as Denison held off DePauw, 25-22, to force a decisive fifth set.
- In the final frame, the teams traded points before Denison pulled ahead late on kills from Perry and Hamilton, clinching a 15-13 win to advance to the NCAC Tournament semifinals.
- Denison was led by Perry, who finished with a match-high 17 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added three block assists. Monachino and Hamilton each tallied 15 kills, while junior Ayla Dunbar (Ann Arbor, MI/Skyline) recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs. Kempf and first-year Amelia Kurtz (Chicago, IL/DePaul College Prep) dished out 27 and 26 assists, respectively, while senior Sadie Habeeb (Independence, OH/Independence) led the defense with 23 digs.
- DePauw was paced by Ozersky, who totaled 15 kills and 15.5 points. Harrington added nine kills and four block assists, while junior Jen Proeh (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) posted six kills and a game-high 12 total blocks. Senior Grace Myers (New Palestine, IN/New Palestine) led the back row with a match-high 24 digs.
- Denison finished with 69 kills and a .225 hitting percentage, while DePauw totaled 46 kills at .159. The Big Red also led in assists (61-41), and digs (86-62) while the Tigers out paced Denison in total blocks (17-7) and aces (9-8).