Kenyon College Volleyball Team Faces Tough Weekend Opponents in 2025 Season

Strategic Insights -

The Kenyon College volleyball team faced a challenging set of games in the first weekend of the 2025 season, falling to Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) 3-0 in a neutral-site contest. Despite showing resilience in the third set, the Owls ultimately couldn't keep up with the Prairie Wolves' strong offense. The team's best stretch of the night came in the third set, where they took a 13-12 lead but ultimately fell 25-22.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Kenyon College volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) in their first weekend match of the 2025 season.
  • The Owls struggled to keep up with the Prairie Wolves' offense, falling behind in kills 15-7 and hitting percentage .462 to .042 in the first set.
  • Kendall Kirkbride and Olivia Gumz led the team with two kills apiece in a solid stretch in the third set, where the teams traded leads before the Prairie Wolves took over with a 6-2 run.
  • In the third set, Kenyon amassed a .049 hitting percentage with a game-high 11 kills, despite falling 25-22 and 3-0.
  • The team improved in the second set, jumping out to a 10-9 lead after trailing 6-1 early, but ultimately fell 25-17.
  • For the game, Kenyon totaled 28 kills and 22 attack errors for a .060 hitting percentage.
  • Olivia Gumz led the team with nine kills on the night, while Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese came in second with six.
  • Hannah Schwemm dished out 20 assists, while Lauren Blakemore hauled in a team-high 12 digs.

Statistics:

  • Kenyon College lost 3-0 to Nebraska Wesleyan University, with a hitting percentage of .060 and 28 kills.
  • The Prairie Wolves held a strong offense, with a hitting percentage of .462 and 15 kills in the first set.
  • Olivia Gumz led the team with nine kills on the night, while Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese came in second with six.
  • Hannah Schwemm dished out 20 assists, while Lauren Blakemore hauled in a team-high 12 digs.

Sources:

  • Kenyon College Athletics news release
  • Nebraska Wesleyan University Athletics
  • Kenyon College Volleyball Team's website