The Wilmington College volleyball team took another step in its building process, but fell to Earlham Wednesday in non-conference action at Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court, 25-18, 25-15, 21-25, 25-23.
After losing the first two sets, Wilmington claimed the third and appeared to be well on its way to force a fifth set.
The Fightin' Quakers, playing inspired after their winning the third set, opened out to a 12-4 lead, and continued to have breathing room at 17-11. However, Earlham started their trek back. EC scored five straight to get closer, but Wilmington appeared to have stemmed the tide and led 23-20. Unfortunately, Earlham scored the final five points of the match to record the victory.
Sophomore Kennedy Harshaw (Xenia, OH/Xenia) led the team with 15 kills on 41 attempts and recorded a team-high 15 digs. Junior Catlin Pauley (Kenton, OH/Riverdale) added 15 kills on 47 attempts with 13 digs.
Senior Ariana Neff (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) distributed a team-high 26 assists, and added seven kills on 16 attempts with one error. Sophomore Kara Short (Conover, OH/Fairlawn) and freshman Rheanna McClain (Columbus, OH/Hamilton Township) both had three solo blocks and a block assist, while freshman Sydney Smith (Centerville, OH/Dayton Christian) added two block solos.
Wilmington (0-12) will play a pair of matches Saturday at Marietta. The Fightin' Quakers will play Ohio Wesleyan in a neutral-site non-conference match at 3 p.m. and will open Ohio Athletic Conference action 7 p.m. against the host Pioneers.
