Bryn Mawr, Pa. – The Bryn Mawr volleyball team took on the top team in the Centennial Conference earlier Wednesday night on the Class of '58 Gymnasium floor looking for an upset. However, the Mules of Muhlenberg College lived up to their billing, hanging on for a 3-0 victory over the Owls to maintain their frontrunner status. Rachel Ofili and Noemi Moreno each tallied seven kills on the evening for Bryn Mawr, with Ofili putting together a solid .357 hitting percentage in the contest.

Bryn Mawr (9-10, 0-4 Cent.) won the first point of the first set in tonight's match to take a very early lead on the visitors. However, Muhlenberg (18-2, 5-0 Cent.) won 11 of the next 15 points to run out to a quick 11-5 lead and force a Bryn Mawr timeout. That interlude worked perfectly, as the Owls were able to stop some of the Mules momentum with a four-point run. Moreno and Ellen Chiu started that off with a pair of kills before two errors by the visitors made it just 11-9. After a side-out gave Muhlenberg a brief respite, Avary Taylor answered with a kill of her own to keep things tight. However, that was as close as the Owls would get in the frame, as Muhlenberg strung together an 8-1 run to go ahead by a 20-11 margin, and they would not look back. Katherine Boll closed the set out for the Mules with three straight kills to give the visitors a 25-13 win in the set.

The second frame was a near-repeat of the first, as Muhlenberg managed to keep Bryn Mawr at bay for a good portion of the set while putting together 13 kills on 27 attack attempts for a solid .407 hitting percentage. The Owls also played to a match-high .259 percentage, but it simply was not enough to keep up with the Mules freight train. However, the third set was a much different story. After falling behind early, Bryn Mawr staged an impressive comeback to get themselves back in the match. With the Mules leading 15-5, Ofili started things with a kill. After both sides traded points, two straight attack errors by the visitors made it a 17-10 contest. Then, Lauren Shue went to work as the Owls server. The sophomore perplexed the Mules with three straight well-placed serves, all of which ultimately fell for aces to get Bryn Mawr within four. Later, a kill by Moreno made it an 18-15 game, and after Muhlenberg began to pull away a bit, Ofili tallied back-to-back kills to get the Owls back within four at 22-18. Unfortunately, that was as close as things would get, as the Mules ended Bryn Mawr's hopes with a three-point run, capped off with a match-winning ace by Vanessa Pulice to give the visitors the W.

With the loss, Bryn Mawr slips to 9-10 on the season and 0-4 in conference play. The Owls will be back in action this weekend when they host Dickinson for yet another league game. The Red Devils are struggling so far in 2014, as they currently sit at 4-10 overall. Saturday's contest represents a good chance for both sides to try and climb back into the Centennial Conference pack, and it all tips off at 1:00 PM.