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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Calumunci vs. Berg
Aislyn McQueen
The Blue Streaks dropped the match to the Berg in front of a loud home crowd. 
3
Winner Heidelberg HEID 17-8,5-3 OAC
2
John Carroll JCU 12-15,3-5 OAC
Winner
Heidelberg HEID
17-8,5-3 OAC
3
Final
2
John Carroll JCU
12-15,3-5 OAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Heidelberg HEID 25 19 25 22 15 (3)
John Carroll JCU 21 25 23 25 10 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Quinn Orloff, Senior Staff Writer

Volleyball Loses 5-Set Frenzy in Front of Raucous Crowd at the DeCarlo Center

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center was rocking on Wednesday evening.

In the final home game of the 2021 campaign, John Carroll University Volleyball played an incredible match, as the baseball, softball, and swimming & diving teams (among others) came to support the Blue Streaks. 

The contest did not go the Blue Streaks' way, but it was still a thrilling evening in University Heights. The Blue Streaks dropped a 5-set nail biter: 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 10-15. 

Set 1 
The energy was at the max as the DeCarlo Center was rocking in the first set. Both teams were going back and forth feeling each other out with the first points of the set. Heidelberg took a 3-point lead, but the Blue Streaks battled back to tie the game at 8-8. 

Heidelberg regained the lead with two quick points, but the Blue Streaks kept pushing back. The Student Princes got the lead back up to three after the Blue Streaks cut it to one. The energy was crazy when the Blue Streaks rallied within one, 15-14. With every point being scored by her team, Coach Michele Benoit was rocking with energy in the gymnasium as she had a smile on her face with her team battling back to tie it up at 16-16. 

"The energy from the crowd was awesome," said Benoit. "Everybody was here, and it's a fun atmosphere to play in. We are super appreciative of the other student-athletes coming out to support us tonight." 

A strategic timeout by Coach Benoit saw the Blue Streaks get a point back after the timeout to cut it to one. After they got the point back after the timeout, the Student Princes scored three consecutive points, leading to another timeout by the Blue Streaks. Both teams traded blows, but the Blue Streaks fell in the first set 25-21.

Set 2
The Blue Streaks started off hot in the second set as they took an early 2-0 lead. They also took four out of the first five points. The Blue Streaks held their biggest lead of the night to that point at 6-2 in the set. The Blue Streaks were holding tight to that 4-point lead throughout the set, but the Student Princes did battle back to cut the lead to 10-9, as they went on a point streak of their own. But the Blue Streaks regained the lead to extend it back to four. 

The Student Princes cut it to one point again, but the Blue Streaks battled back to go back up four, 21-17. After that swing, Heidelberg Coach Jason Miller called a timeout. The break didn't work as planned for the Student Princes, as the Blue Streaks held momentum after the timeout and won the next three points. The Blue Streaks won the set, 25-19.

Set 3
The third set was the culmination of the first two, as both teams traded blows in a back-and-forth match. The Blue Streaks put the pedal to the medal in the middle of the set, as they took a 4-point lead to make it 16-12 just like the second set. The Blue Streaks continued to grow their lead as they extended the lead to 18-13. 

After a timeout by Coach Miller, the Student Princes came out of the timeout to gain the next two points back, cutting the deficit to 18-15. The Student Princes battled back as they cut the lead down to one, 21-20. The Student Princes tied the set at 21 after a timeout from Coach Benoit, and JCU won the next two points to make it 23-21. But the Student Princes battled back to take the final four points of the set to win, 25-23.

Set 4    
The Blue Streaks continued their fighting spirit on the night to take an early lead, 4-3. The Blue Streaks fell behind later in the set, but battled back to come within one. The Blue Streaks found a way to tie the set up at 11. The Blue Streaks then went on a streak of their own, leading by three at 14-11. They extended their lead to five with a tremendous rally, so when Heidelberg called a timeout, the score was 17-12 Blue Streaks. 

The Blue Streaks let the Student Princes back into the set, as the Student Princes battled back to get it within two with the score being 22-20. The Student Princes won the next two points after the timeout by Coach Benoit to tie the set up. The Blue Streaks won the final three points to win the set 25-22, forcing a tiebreaker set. 

Set 5
The fifth and final set started off as a tenuous affair. The Student Princes started to pull away as they scored four straight, but the Blue Streaks battled back to make it 6-5 Berg. The final set belonged to the Student Princes, as the visitors utilized short runs to gain the edge. After a 2-point JCU run, the Student Princes halted the train by scoring two points of their own, forcing Coach Benoit to call a timeout. 

The break did not help, as Heidelberg managed to finish things off with a 15-10 conquest. 

Cassie Calamunci led the way for the Blue Streaks with 19 kills, while Kailee Herbst also played phenomenally, tabbing 18 kills. Anna Coughlin and Ally Bartolone led the way with digs for the Blue Streaks, notching 27 and 22 respectively. Ally Bartolone led the way in assists for the Blue Streaks with 33.

Coach Benoit said that despite the loss that the "effort was amazing. The coaches and the captains of the team are all super proud. We are finally gelling at a good time despite the loss."

Looking ahead, the Blue Streaks' next game is at Wilmington College on Saturday October 30, while Heidelberg wraps up the regular season vs. Muskingum on Saturday.

"Teams are a little nervous to play us because we are peaking at the right time," Benoit said. "If we play within our capabilities, we have a good shot at pulling off an upset."
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