Since the beginning of Ohio Athletic Conference play in early October, the John Carroll volleyball team has fallen into a pattern – lose one, win two. The pattern repeated itself on Saturday. Following back-to-back wins the past week, the Blue Streaks fell to Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio, 3-0.

The Fighting Muskies started strong in the first set, enjoying a big advantage near the net. Muskingum registered 17 kills, boasting an impressive .395 attack percentage and only committing two errors throughout the entire set. Muskingum captured the first set with ease, 25-15.

Muskingum continued its success at the net in the second set, notching 15 kills against one error, though JCU fended off 38 attempted attacks. The Blue Steaks kept it closer in the second stanza, but Muskingum still walked away with a 25-17 win.

Feisty following two tough sets, the Blue Streaks stormed out of the gate in the third set. Buoyed by 19 kills, the Blue and Gold forced the set into extra time. However, the Fighting Muskies outlasted JCU at the end of the set, capturing the set and match with a narrow 29-27 triumph.

Kit O'Shaughnessy led the Blue and Gold with an impressive 34 assists and 15 digs. Leah Switalski and Sarah Orlandi combined for 21 kills, and Sara Kaminski topped the team with 25 digs. For Muskingum, Taylor Mathews enjoyed a banner day with 47 assists and 11 digs. 

Thanks to the win, Muskingum will enjoy home court advantage in the first round of the OAC Tournament, as the Fighting Muskies will host JCU again on Tuesday at 7 p.m. JCU will enter the tournament as the #5 seed with a 5-4 record in OAC play.

Soon after the completion of the Muskingum match, the Blue Streaks faced off with the Denison University in a nonconference match to wrap up the regular season. JCU did not waste time in defeating Denison, sweeping the Big Red, 3-0.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, as JCU looked to prevent its first two-match losing streak since mid-September. After a drawn-out battle, Blue Streaks triumphed in a 26-24 decision, snatching an early 1-0 lead.

The second set was also quite close, as the Big Red tried to even the affair at one. A determined Blue Streaks team avoided this outcome, as JCU secured a 25-21 win. The Blue and Gold tabbed 14 kills and a .212 attack percentage in the set.

The Blue Streaks dominated the final set, 25-19, to secure the match victory. The JCU front line continued to excel, as the Blue and Gold registered 10 kills against just one error.

With the win, the Blue and Gold end the regular season at 15-13. The JCU volleyball team has now finished above .500 and earned a bid in the OAC Tournament in each of the past three seasons.