By John Bray

The Ladies had two strong showings last week against Oberlin College and Denison University, but ultimately fell 3-1 in sets to both opponents.

The battle with Oberlin was a match filled with runs. The first set opened with the Ladies finding themselves down early and coming back, only to see Oberlin kill their momentum and take the set 25-23. The Ladies started strong in the second set before Oberlin stormed back to once again win the set by a score of 25-23. It was all Kenyon during the third set; the first-year quartet of Tierney McClure ’18, Lauren Kerr ’18, Jensen Shurbert ’18 and Grace Riley ’18 led the Ladies to the 25-19 set victory. Oberlin was about to close out the match with a 12-1 run during the fourth set en route to a match-clinching 25-18 win.

Kerr had an especially impressive night for the Ladies, connecting on 57.1 percent of her attacks. She also posted four blocks in the contest.

Riding on Senior Day emotions, the Ladies put together a strong effort in the first set against rival Denison. A few errors down the stretch doomed the Big Red, and the Ladies captured the first set by a score of 26-24. Denison then crushed Kenyon’s momentum in the second and third sets, winning by scores of 25-15 and 25-12, respectively. The Ladies put up a valiant effort in the fourth set before the Big Red broke away and took the set and match with a 25-21 victory.

Amber Kraus ’15, Kaitlyn Power ’15 and Hannah Shank ’15 had great all-around performances. Kraus had a team high of seven kills to go along with four blocks. Powers was credited with a team high of six blocks. Shank recorded 16 assists, giving her 2,617 for her career, only 20 assists shy of second place in the Kenyon record books.

Last night, the Ladies hosted their Dig Pink event. The Ladies have been fundraising to raise money for the Side Out Foundation, an organization dedicated to breast cancer research and patient services.

The Ladies lost 3-0 but raised over $3,000 for their cause.