BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The Bryn Mawr volleyball team kicked off Centennial Conference play earlier Saturday afternoon with a challenging contest against a strong Washington College team. Despite playing strong defense all day and diving all over the court to keep balls alive, the Owls came up just short against the Shorewomen, falling in 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-18) fashion. Caroline Cosby led the Owls with eight kills and the best attack percentage of the day for Bryn Mawr. Washington College was led by Cassie Kowalski, who tallied 18 kills on the afternoon with an impressive .459 hitting percentage.

Bryn Mawr (2-6, 0-1 CC) started out a bit slow in the opening set, but had some solid play in the middle of the frame. Trailing 10-5, Cosby got a run started with a kill on a set by Kira Ogoshi. Then it was Sienna Burnett's turn to get in on the action, as she slammed home a kill of her own. Ogoshi kept the run going with a brilliant service ace to bring Bryn Mawr back within two. However, that would be as close as the Owls would get, as Washington College (6-2, 1-0 CC) shut down the rally and then went on a 15-6 run of their own to close out the frame, capped off with a kill by Lizzie Baden.

The second set was a similar story to the first, as Bryn Mawr once again found tough sledding offensively. The Owls recorded just six kills in the frame, compared to fifteen from the Shorewomen. Despite those stats, Bryn Mawr still had a great opportunity midway through. Trailing 15-10, Burnett nailed another kill to get some momentum going the Owls' way. After an attack error by the visitors, Camille Baechler notched a kill of her own. Washington College momentarily stopped the run with another kill from Baden, but then another attack error brought Bryn Mawr back within two. However, once again the Owls couldn't complete the rally, as Washington College closed out the set by winning nine straight points.

The Owls continued to buckle down despite the 2-0 deficit, and the third frame went much smoother for Bryn Mawr. The Owls still started off in a big hole, but they were able to battle back once again thanks to back-to-back kills by Cosby to draw within three. Later, a 5-1 run by Bryn Mawr, keyed by kills from Baechler and Cosby and an ace from Sarah Whitten, brought the Owls as close as 18-21. Unfortunately, Washington College proved simply too strong on the day, as the visitors won the third match 25-18 to earn the 3-0 victory of the match.

Bryn Mawr will be right back in action next week as they look to get back in the win column. The Owls will host Moravian College on Wednesday night in the Class of 1958 Gymnasium for a non-conference tilt. Game time on Wednesday is slated for 7:00 PM.