Prior to fall break, the Oberlin women’s volleyball team was 3-13 for the season and 0-8 in conference play. On Sunday, Oct. 8, the Yeowomen traveled to Lake Erie to play two games: one against D’Youville College and a second against the host Lake Erie.

In the first game, Oberlin came out on top, beating D’Youville College 3-0 (30-12, 30-28 and 30-19). Encouraged by this victory, Oberlin went into the Lake Erie tie with newly found confidence, winning 3-0 by overpowering the hosts 30-22, 32-30 and 30-20 in the first, second and third sets, respectively. With two straight wins, Oberlin moved its season record to 5-13, an improvement that pleased Head Coach Carey Cavanaugh, who stated that she was impressed with the Yeowomen’s performance in both games.

On Wednesday, Oct. 11, as the majority of Oberlin College’s student population started midterm preparation, the Yeowomen traveled to the College of Wooster for a conference game. They played hard throughout the game, reproducing their strong team performance in the Sunday games. However, Wooster proved too much, winning the game 3-0 (30-25, 30-19 and 30-24).

Two days later, Oberlin visited Allegheny College on Oct. 13. Despite the exceptional individual performance of sophomore Caitlin Donnelly, who had seven kills, seven digs and a block assist that night, the Yeowomen lost to the hosts who cruised to a 3-0 victory (30-22, 30-16 and 30-14). With two straight losses, Oberlin’s record dropped to 5-15. Despite this disappointment, the players kept their heads high and maintained their confidence in preparation for the two home games ahead.

On Saturday, Oct. 14, while most Obies had left for break, the Yeowomen were getting ready for two games in the Philips Gymnasium. Oberlin was joined by John Carroll, Thiel and Hiram for a day of intense volleyball action. John Carroll and Thiel commenced proceedings in a game that John Carroll comfortably won 3-0 (30-18, 30-10 and 30-17). In the second game, Oberlin went up against Hiram College in a conference game. Hiram out played the Yeowomen, taking the game 3-0 (30-12, 30-20 and 30-14) regardless of the remarkable performance put up by first-year Tammela Platt who had 24 digs.

Hiram faced John Carroll in the next game. Once again, the Hiram team triumphed over, beating the John Carroll 30-21, 30-21 and 30-26 in the first, second and third sets. To close the day’s events, Oberlin went up against Thiel College in an intense tie that spanned five periods. In the end, the Yeowomen went down in the fifth period 9-15 losing the game 2-3 (23-30, 30-28, 24-30, 30-27 and 9-15). First-year Rita Kaplon and junior Deysi Villarreal were standout players in this game with five aces and 17 kills, respectively.

Before the end of the fall break, Oberlin played two more conference games: first against Wittenberg University on Oct. 20 and then against Earlham College on Oct. 21. In the first game, Wittenberg showed its strength by winning three straight games 30-22, 30-10 and 30-19. The next day, the women traveled to Richmond, Ind. where they faced the Earlham Quakers in another NCAC match. Villarreal’s 11 kills and 17 digs were not enough to secure a victory, as the Yeowomen lost 21-30, 17-30 and 28-30. Earlham improved its NCAC standing to 4-9. With this defeat, Oberlin fell to 5-19 for the season and 0-13 in conference action.

On Oct. 25, the Yeowomen traveled to Granville, Ohio, where they faced Denison College. Denison defended its home turf ardently, shutting Oberlin out 30-9 and 30-3 in the first and second games and then going on to win the match 3-0 after a 30-20 third period victory. With this victory, the Big Red improved their season record to 11-5 in the NCAC, while Oberlin’s record dropped to 0-14 in conference action and 5-20 for the season.

As the season draws to its end, Oberlin looks to win its three remaining games. Junior Kate Cook stresses a strong finish with these words: “We are looking to round the season off with a bang. Friday is senior night and we hope to honor the seniors on the team by putting up a good performance when we play Kenyon that evening. We have a wonderful group of girls this year and I hope that we will be able to end our season well.”

The Yeowomen will play at Philips Gymnasium against Kenyon tonight at 7 p.m. and tomorrow against Ohio Wesleyan at 12 p.m. and Case Western Reserve University at 4 p.m.