SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Bryn Mawr volleyball team hit the road for their final match away from home this season, and it was a tough one. The Owls traveled to Centennial Conference leaders Swarthmore earlier Wednesday night, and though they battled hard throughout the match, the Garnet ultimately prevailed in 3-0 fashion. Sarah Gates and Rachel Ofili led the Owls with nine kills apiece, but Swarthmore's Olivia Leventhal powered the hosts to victory with an impressive 17-kill performance on the night.

Bryn Mawr (6-15, 1-8 CC) got off to a quick start in the night's match, jumping out to a 3-1 lead early on in the first set. The Owls got some help from the Garnet early on too, as Swarthmore (19-7, 8-1 CC) struggled with errors  throughout the first frame. However, the hosts were able to fight through those errors to reclaim the lead midway through the set. Bryn Mawr tried to respond, tying things back up at 9-9 on a kill from Gates and another Garnet attack error. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Owls could get in that frame, as Swarthmore would use a 12-2 run to open up a big lead on Bryn Mawr. Ofili picked up another kill, and a few more Swarthmore errors got the Owls points, but in the end the Garnet took the first set in 25-15 fashion.

The Owls once again took an early 3-1 lead in the second frame as well, but this time, the visitors were able to make that lead stand up longer. After Swarthmore momentarily retook the advantage, two more misplays from the hosts tied things up, and another Ofili kill made it a 9-8 Bryn Mawr lead. The Owls continued to hang on to that advantage through the middle part of the set, holding leads of 11-10 and 12-11. However, once again this talented Swarthmore team was unfazed, as the Garnet were able to pull away to a lead of 21-16. Bryn Mawr put together one more rally, with kills from Ofili and Gates and an ace from Ofili helping the Owls climb back to 21-23. Swarthmore was just too strong, though, with Leventhal posting another of her kills to close out the set at 25-21. With that win and a 2-0 advantage in the match, the Garnet were able to coast home to the 3-0 win, as the wind seemed to come out of the Bryn Mawr sails in a 25-12 third set.

With all of their road games now behind them, the Owls will return to the friendly confines of the Class of 1958 Gymnasium to close out their 2015 season with a three match homestand. First up for the Owls is contest against Johns Hopkins that will come as a rare Friday night treat. Bryn Mawr will close out their Centennial Conference season with a 7:00 PM tilt against the Blue Jays, who are still battling for playoff position in this final week of the regular season. Then, Bryn Mawr will get right back in action the very next day with a home tri-match, as the Owls host the College of Staten Island and Penn State Abington on Saturday. Bryn Mawr will celebrate Senior Day with an 11:00 AM start against Staten Island and a 3:00 PM match versus the Nittany Lions, with those two teams slated to face off in between. Be sure to come check out the Owls' final matches of the year this weekend!