Bryn Mawr, Pa. – Things looked bleak for the Bryn Mawr volleyball squad earlier Wednesday evening. Already down 2-0 in their match against Washington College, Coach Sarah Lambert took a timeout with the Owls trailing 22-19 in the third set. Whatever was said in that stoppage had some big effects on the team, as Bryn Mawr battled back to win the set and the match in a marathon 3-2 victory over the Shorewomen. Rachel Ofili tallied 19 kills to co-lead all players, and the Owls had a huge night at the net with six solo blocks and six more block assists en route to their first Centennial Conference win of the season.

In a foreshadowing of things to come, the first set was a tight affair in itself. At one point, Bryn Mawr (10-11, 1-5 Cent.) held an 18-13 lead in the set, only to see Washington College (15-7, 0-5 Cent.) battle back to tie things at 21-all. The Owls held onto their slim lead over the next few points, but at set point, the Shorewomen used one of Kristen Lee's 19 kills in the match to tie things back up. In extra points, the visitors finally wrapped up the set thanks to an error by the Owls and yet another early kill from Lee. With the momentum of winning that crucial first set, the Shorewomen went on to dominate the second frame. The visitors used a six-point run to build a 14-8 lead, ultimately closing out the set by winning five of the last six points and taking the second set by a score of 25-15.

Bryn Mawr finally got a good start in the third set, and after a kill from Ofili and a bad set by the Shorewomen, the Owls held a 13-8 lead in the frame. However, Washington battled back, tying things back up with a five point run. The two teams traded points back and forth over the next few minutes, but then the visitors used another run to get out to a 22-19 lead. Staring down the barrel of another frustrating defeat, Bryn Mawr used one last timeout to regroup and, at the very least, close out the set on a positive note.

The Owls did much better than that. Avary Taylor and Sarah Gates combined for a block out of the timeout to shut down one Washington attack. Then, the Shorewomen committed an error to get Bryn Mawr back within one. After a brief reprieve for the visitors, Bryn Mawr closed out the set with a four-point run, thanks to three straight kills from Ofili down the middle and capped off by a service ace from Megan Kilmer. The Owls took the set 25-23, and it was readily apparent that the winds of change had just blown across the court.

With newfound energy and determination, Bryn Mawr dominated the fourth set. The Owls went on a seven-point run early on, once again getting three straight kills from Ofili to propel them into the lead. Now trailing 4-10, the visitors tried their best to stay in the set, but Bryn Mawr simply would not let that happen. The Owls built their lead to eight points thanks to an ace from Lauren Shue, and they would maintain that large advantage the rest of the way. Bryn Mawr closed out the set 25-18, but even that score does not properly portray how much momentum the Owls now had.

Even the brief stoppage to set up the fifth and final set could not slow the Owls down. With things tied 3-3 in the early goings of the decisive frame, Danielle Preziuso earned a rare kill of her own, Bryn Mawr went on a run that saw them take ten out of the next eleven points. Noemi Moreno notched a kill, the Shorewomen helped with several errors, the Owls got an ace; even Danielle Preziuso and Allie Nagelski tallied kills of their own. And with each point, the cheers in the Class of '58 Gym grew louder and louder. The Shorewomen tried valiantly to battle back from such a huge deficit in the late stages, but the Owls were not to be denied. Sarah Gates made it 14-10 with a kill, and then Ellen Chiu helped wrap up one of the biggest wins of the season for Bryn Mawr with a final kill down the left side.

With the victory, Bryn Mawr moves to 10-11 on the year and 1-5 in the Centennial Conference. The Owls will look to build a winning streak when they next take the court on Saturday. Bryn Mawr will be on the road at Gettysburg, where they will face a Bullets squad that is currently just inside the bubble when it comes to postseason contention in the conference. A crucial match for both sides, it all gets underway at 1:00 PM in Gettysburg.