Senior Mary Kate Etling bumps the ball over the net
in Friday night's match against Baldwin Wallace.
LEANN BURKE / THE DEPAUW
The 22nd ranked women’s volleyball team had another impressive weekend, this time sweeping the competition at home in the Tiger Invitational.
They began with Defiance College on Friday evening, beating them 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 25-12).
Sophomore Elisabeth Wilson led the Tigers with 17 kills, followed by junior Sarah Burtenshaw with 15. Junior Faith Rowles assisted 48 of the Tigers 57 kills.
“To come out with a win was great,” Wilson said. “We got all the jitters out against Defiance and set the tone for the rest of the tournament.”
First-year Emily Beckes dug up 13 balls and junior Keely McGrath had 10 of her own. Rowles led the team with four blocks.
Against Baldwin Wallace University, who the Tigers swept in three games (25-23, 25-12, 25-11), Rowles led the team with 31 assists, setting up 11 kills for Wilson, who again led the team. Beckes had three aces.
In the second day of the tournament, the Tigers didn’t lose a single set.
In the first match, DePauw grabbed a 3-0 win over Hanover College (25-18, 25-13, 25-19), with Rowles and Mary Kate Etling leading the charge with eight kills each.
Rowles also assisted on 23 of the total 35 kills from the game, and McGrath dug up 20 balls and led the team with three service aces.
“We played together really well in this tournament,” Wilson said. “Even if we were down in a set we were able to come back and win, which was a big step for our team.”
To finish out the tournament, the Tigers took on 25th ranked Millikin University.
“Millikin was definitely one of the tougher teams we’ve played this year,” Wilson said. “They’re a really strong team with great defense.”
The Tigers beat them in three straight sets, 25-20, 30-28, and 25-23.
Great defense or not, that didn’t slow down the Tiger hitters.
Junior Lauren Falotico and Etling both had 12 kills, with Wilson adding another 10 to the Tigers total 46. Rowles assisted on 38 of them.
McGrath had 21 digs, and Wilson had three solo blocks and five block assists.
“Millikin was definitely our best win of the tournament,” Wilson said.
Wilson and Falotico were both named to the all-tournament team for their solid performances.
“I was really excited, it’s my first college all-tournament team,” Wilson said afterwards.
The Tigers next contest will be at Oberlin College on Saturday, where they will play both the home team and Manchester University.
For Wilson and the rest of the team, anticipation is high as they open up their North Coast Athletic Conference schedule.
“We’re really excited to come off such a successful home weekend and get back to some conference play, so we’re ready for this weekend,” said Wilson.