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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
VB team vs. Allegheny
Tia Wahdan
The Blue Streaks battled back from the brink to beat the Gators.
2
Allegheny All 7-8,0-0 PAC
3
Winner John Carroll JCU 10-3,1-0 OAC
Allegheny All
7-8,0-0 PAC
2
Final
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John Carroll JCU
10-3,1-0 OAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Allegheny All 25 15 25 29 10 (2)
John Carroll JCU 23 25 23 31 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Ellie Robertson, Staff Writer

On the Ropes in the Fourth Set, JCU Volleyball Battles Back for Win over Allegheny

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – The John Carroll Volleyball team experienced one of the most nerve-wracking and impressive games yet of the season. 

The Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center was filled with excitement as the Blue Streaks hosted Allegheny College after being absent from their home court for consecutive games. 

The Blue Streaks faced one their toughest battles so far this season and ended it after a thrilling five set match, concluding the game with a dramatic 3-2 victory: 23-25, 25-15, 23-25, 31-29, 15-10. 

During set one, the Allegheny Gators gave the Blue Streaks a healthy competition as both teams went back and forth to take the lead. The Gators were quick to defend their side of the court, taking away JCU's attempted attacks. It was then a neck and neck score throughout, as Allgeheny accomplished the win, 25-23. 

But that did not stop JCU, as they came into the second set hungry for revenge. 

Early in set two, Allegheny and JCU started off identical in the first set with a tie score. When a timeout was called on the floor, the energy of John Carroll changed for the better and immediately took the lead. 

The Blue Streaks did not let the adversity of set one affect their game and finished the second with a crushing win of 25-15. 

After securing the win of set two, both Allegheny and John Carroll were desperate to snag the lead of the match since it was anyone's game. 

Set three corresponded with set one as the two teams were battling against a tight score. JCU did not give up as they got back into the game, tying it at 16. The Gators continued to bring the score back in a tying state, eventually bringing themselves the lead of 21-19. 

Kendra Dziubinski allowed the Blue Streaks one last chance to take the lead as her spike tied the game at 23. But the effort of JCU was not enough, as Allegheny took the win for set three exactly as the first, 25-23, with strong attacks on JCU's backline. 

Jenn Follmer's excitement and determination brought JCU back into the match in set four. The St. Joseph Academy grad tallied a total of six kills only during the first half of the set. The Blue Streaks put themselves in a good position with a score of 17-13, until Allegheny gained a sneaky comeback. The Gators brought themselves out of a hole, making the score 21-18 in their favor. 

Allegheny took John Carroll to the brink, leading 24-19. It was a nailbiting experience as JCU came back to tighten up the score and eventually tied it at 25. Both teams did not back down as they traded points, refusing to surrender the all-important momentum. 

As it came down to one more point after reaching a 30-29 score, Steph Conley pushed through to the end to give JCU the winning point after spiking it past the Gator defense. 

High energy was carried through both teams as they entered the fifth set. The Blue Streaks all had one thing on their mind in that moment, to take the win of the final set. 

A fifth and deciding set upped both team's intensities. JCU was quick to grab the lead to make it 7-1, leading to an Allegheny timeout.

After a quick switch of the sides on the court, John Carroll kept up its streak of earning points and pushing forward the lead. And in the end, John Carroll's resilience won the day. The Blue Streaks' ability to respond under pressure and make smart, deft decisions at the net led to an awesome home victory. 

"Obviously we experienced a lot of frustration in the beginning, but when we play our game, we have a lot of talent and we can get things done," said Head Coach Michele Benoit. "I am a big believer that when you come back and tie a match, you have the opportunity to win. Once you hit that tie, you get that momentum to win it. They are a good team and outplayed us in a lot of ways, but we came through at the end. Where we were in the beginning is where they ended, and we took that energy to get the win." 

Cassi Calamunci's leadership helped the Blue Streaks receive the glorious outcome of the game. Calamunci tapped at a high of 11 kills and 10 digs. 

Lexi MacDonald's skills shined in today's match as she tallied a total of 25 digs. 

John Carroll's win streak is now at six, the team's lengthiest since 2018. 

Overall, it was a team effort and the hard work of the Blue Streaks that granted them this celebratory win. 

John Carroll is set to travel to Pittsburgh to face La Roche University on Friday, September 23 at 7 pm.
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