Saturday, Oct. 23, the John Carroll University Volleyball team (12-14, 3-4 OAC)  continued their stretch of solid play against Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Marietta College (5-16, 2-5 OAC) in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. The Blue and Gold had control of this match most of the way, and dominated from the opening serve, resulting in a sweep on senior day for the Blue Streaks.

Before the game against Marietta, John Carroll honored all six of their seniors – Ally Bartolone, Cassi Calamunci, Anna Coughlin, Carleen Ellerbruch, Kailee Herbst and Brooke Hjerpe. 

“Our senior day game went so well,” said Calamunci, “We were about to shut them down with great serve receive and siding out very quickly. We limited their runs of points and kept the momentum on our side throughout the entire match. Our defense was solid from our blockers to the back row. Our setters Ally and Maddie Maz reversed the flow on offense very well, keeping their blockers confused. We have a huge home game on Wednesday against Heidelberg that we hope to get a good crowd for.”

The Blue Streaks had control over their match from the get-go, and rarely trailed in a great overall effort. It was apparent to everyone in the bleachers Saturday that their offense was clicking, with the Blue Streaks putting away a whopping 47 kills against an overmatched Marietta defense. 

Of these 47 kills, Calamunci ’22 once again led the way with 13 herself. Hjerpe ’22 (8 kills) and Kailee Herbst ’22 (7 kills) were integral parts of the attack, adding a sense of balance to the Blue Streak Offense. 

Bartolone ’22 and Maddie Maziarz ’24 were handing out assists like candy to their hitters as if Halloween came a week early this year, as Bartolone tallied 22 and Maziarz added another 16. Bartolone also added another 5 aces to continue her hot serving streak. 

Libero Lexi MacDonald ’24 was a steady force on defense, registering 13 digs in a great effort. Calamunci also added her own 12 digs to go along with her kills. 

 The Blue Streaks defeated Marietta with authority, sweeping their opponent 3-0, with set scores of 25-18, 25-18and 25-15, respectively. Due to great execution and great veteran leadership and presence, The Blue Streaks looked from the start to take their opponent out and give them little hope of going home with a victory.

The Blue Streaks look to extend their recent winning streak to three games as they take on Heidelberg University (16-8, 4-3 OAC) in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center on John Carroll’s Campus this Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.