GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. - The Owls volleyball team earned a dramatic 3-2 win earlier Thursday night on the road against Gwynedd Mercy University. Bryn Mawr was back in action after a relaxing start to their fall break week, and it certainly helped, as the Owls needed to go the distance to claim this victory. After winning each of the first two sets, Bryn Mawr was forced to win a decisive fifth set late in the evening, which they did in dramatic fashion. Caroline Cosby and Camille Baechler each tallied 15 kills to lead the Owls, while senior Allie Nagelski notched 30 digs on the night.

Bryn Mawr (3-12) jumped right out in front in the opening set, taking a 4-1 lead over the Griffins thanks in part to two kills from Baechler. After Gwynedd Mercy (9-12) had battled back to take a lead of their own, the Owls had to battle their way back into the set midway through. Several Griffins errors, as well as another kill by Baechler, got Bryn Mawr back out in front 12-11. The two sides traded points much of the way through the middle part of the set from there, all the way to 23-23. An error from the hosts gave the Owls a 24-23 lead, but then Bryn Mawr gave it right back to make it 24-all. However, the Owls sealed the deal with kills from Sienna Burnett and Caroline Cosby, taking the first frame in 26-24 fashion.

The Owls were all over Gwynedd Mercy in the second set, tallying 17 kills against just one error in a marvelously efficient set. Kira Ogoshi, Baechler, Cosby, and Burnett all notched kills in the opening points, propelling the visitors to a 6-2 lead. Later, more kills from Baechler and Nolan Julien, plus an ace from Nagelski, extended the Owls lead to 14-6. Gwynedd Mercy slowly tried to chip away at their deficit, and managed to close to as close as 19-16. However, the Owls stuck with it and were able to clinch the frame in 25-20 fashion, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

Gwynedd Mercy somehow found a way to dig down and win the next two sets, however, tying things back up at 2-2 in the match. That set up a decisive fifth set for both sides, and now it was the Griffins with all the momentum. The two sides traded points in the early going, with a kill from Sarah Whitten knotting things up at 2-2. The Griffins used a three-point mini-run to take a 5-2 advantage, but Bryn Mawr was able to whittle that down and then use an ace from Ogoshi to take a 7-6 lead. Once again the Griffins surged ahead, this time winning five straight points to vault out to a 13-9 advantage. Now with their own backs against the wall, Bryn Mawr put together a great five-point run of their own, with three Griffins attack errors, a kill from Whitten and an ace from Nagelski giving the Owls their first match point of the night. That would go to waste, as a Gwynedd Mercy timeout stymied the effort and helped the hosts win two straight points to earn a match point of their own. However, a huge block from Whitten and Baechler kept the Owls in the match and tied things up at 15-all.

The set would continue in that same manner over the next several points, with the Griffins going up by one and the Owls winning the subsequent point to stay alive. Overall, Bryn Mawr fought off six match points late in the set to stay alive. The Owls finally were able to win two points in a row of their own, with back-to-back kills by Baechler on great sets by Julien getting Bryn Mawr out in front 21-20. This time it was the hosts' turn to be on the back foot, and they were able to stave off the loss temporarily by winning the next point themselves. However, Bryn Mawr was not to be denied on this night. Baechler threw down one more kill to put the Owls up 22-21, and then a massive stuff block from Whitten and Baechler slammed the door for Bryn Mawr as they took the set 23-21 and claimed a 3-2 win of the match.

Nagelski had a tremendous night defensively for the Owls, as she topped 30 digs for the second time this season. The senior libero also added five assists and two aces on the night. Baechler's 15 kills were one off of a season high, while the same could be said of Cosby's 15-kill effort. Ogoshi led the Owls with 19 assists on the night, while Nolan Julien was close behind with 17. Bryn Mawr also got a huge boost out of having senior Lauren Shue back from injury, as the team leader notched 16 digs and chipped in a kill of her own in a solid return to the court. The Griffins had an impressive performer of their own, as Casey Griffith led all scorers with 33 kills, a high for Gwynedd Mercy over the past 12 seasons.

Bryn Mawr will look to build off of tonight's impressive win when they get right back in action on Saturday the 15th. The Owls will travel to Gettysburg on Saturday, with the Centennial Conference match slated to start at 1:00 PM.