In a thrilling five-set match, the Wilmington College volleyball team came up just short, falling 15-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 15-9, Wednesday at Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court.
The tide of the match changed in the fourth set as starting setter Alyssa McKenzie (Adrian, MI/Adrian) suffered an injury with Wilmington leading the Mountaineers, 9-4. McKenzie was playing her best overall game with career-highs in kills (six) and digs (19) and was just five assists shy of her career-high at the time of injury.
Berea outscored the Fightin' Quakers 21-10, including a stretch of four consecutive aces, following the injury and then claimed the match victory with a 15-9 win in the final set.
The match gave Wilmington visual evidence of its improvement throughout this season as Berea beat Wilmington in straight sets just two weeks ago.
Freshman Amber Rox (Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg) finished with 17 kills on 63 attempts. It was her third double-double of the season as she finished with a career-high 22 digs.
Junior Becca Harting (Farmersville, OH/Valley View) tallied a career-high 31 digs in leading four different players with double-figure digs. Freshman Morgan Householder (Somerset, OH/Sheridan) added a career-high 17 digs and a career-high nine kills.
Junior Ileesha White (Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge) recorded a career-best three blocks – one block solo and two block assists.
Wilmington (1-12) hosts a tri-match on September 30. The Fightin' Quakers will play Marietta in a non-conference match at 1 p.m., and then Albion at 7 p.m. Marietta and Albion are scheduled to play at 5 p.m.
