This past weekend, the Kenyon College volleyball team traveled to Richmond, Indiana, for a two-day tournament. The Owls first took on Earlham College (Ind.) on Friday night, then faced the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) and Alma College (Mich.) on Saturday, unfortunately going 0-3. Then, Kenyon took on Muskingum University away on Wednesday, losing in the first three sets and ending the run with an 0-4 record.

Kenyon began the three-game set with a match against the Earlham Quakers, with a back-and-forth ensuing between the teams in the early stages of the first set. Once the score reached 7-7, however, Earlham surpassed Kenyon with three kills to take the lead. The Owls worked hard to keep up with the Quakers but ultimately lost the first set 25-14. The second set was a much closer battle; while the Quakers saw early success, the Owls fought back hard with a kill from Hannah Schwemm ’27 and two service aces from Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese ’28 to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Owls’ defense couldn’t quell Earlham’s offense, losing the second set 25-20. In the third set, the two teams fought hard and ultimately found themselves tied at a 25-25 score. Determined to win, Becca Gwynne ’26 earned a kill to put the Owls up 26-25, one point away from victory. The Quakers refused to give up though, scoring the next three points and taking the match, 28-26. 

The Owls started their Saturday doubleheader against Rose-Hulman. The first set was a struggle for Kenyon, with the Owls’ first three points gained on service errors while the Fightin’ Engineers garnered five kills and an attack error to take the lead 6-3. Unfortunately, the Owls were unable to muster a comeback and lost the set 25-15. The next two sets were more of the same, and Rose-Hulman came up with the win, three sets to zero. Later that day, Kenyon took on the Alma College Scots, hoping to win its first game of the weekend. The Owls started off strong, winning the opening set 25-20, but just as things were looking up for Kenyon, the Scots battled back, winning the next three sets and taking the victory. 

Finally, the Owls set out for Muskingum, looking to get a win. The Fighting Muskies dominated the first set, emerging victorious 25-12. Heading into the second, Kenyon once again struggled to keep up with Muskingum, ultimately losing 25-14. The third set began fairly evenly, as both teams fought back and forth until the score was tied 8-8. From there, the Fighting Muskies found their groove, winning the final set 25-12. Sophia Menke ’27 garnered 5 kills for the Owls, followed close by Olivia Gumz ’27 with 4. Rumpca-Veronese led the offensive unit for Kenyon with 33 attacks, Gumz recorded 17 and Juliette Tomamichel ’26 got 15. 

The Owls look ahead to a weekend in Jacksonville, Illinois, where they will take on Nebraska Wesleyan University and Monmouth College (Ill.).