BRYN MAWR, Pa. – The Owls volleyball squad was back on their home court earlier Saturday afternoon for another busy tri-match in the Class of 1958 Gymnasium. Bryn Mawr welcomed Bryn Athyn and NJCU to campus on the day, and thanks to some strong play throughout the afternoon, the Owls were able to earn a 1-1 split on the day. The hosts coasted to an easy 3-0 sweep of the Lions in the morning matchup before giving the Gothic Knights a strong test in a 3-0 loss in the second match. Elise Perry led the Owls with 23 kills total on the day while Orli McGuire-Berk came up big with 32 digs after stepping into the Bryn Mawr libero role for the day.

In the opening match of the day, Bryn Athyn got the first two points of the day, but it was all Bryn Mawr from there. The Owls win five straight points after that tough start, using a kill from Perry and a couple of aces from Katharine Briggs to take a 5-2 advantage. Sydney Munnerlyn, Anna Dravk, and Micah Sheppard all added kills midway through the set to bump Bryn Mawr's lead up to 16-5 before the Lions put together a 4-1 run of their own. Bryn Mawr would win eight of the next 11 points to claim the set, sealing the 25-12 win with two aces from Perry.

In the second set, Bryn Mawr once again raced out to a big lead. The Owls went ahead 4-0 right off the bat thanks to three straight kills from Perry and then an ace by McGuire-Berk. Perry added three more kills just a little later, and then Micah Sheppard and Bintou Dembele added a few more of their own. Perry helped Bryn Mawr close things out with one final kill to give the hosts a 25-11 win in the second set.

Bryn Mawr jumped ahead 5-1 in the third set on kills from Sydney Collins and Elise Perry and another ace from Briggs. Bryn Athyn did a better job battling back in this set, tying the score at 5-5, but the Owls then went on to win 11 of the next 12 points to take a commanding 16-6 lead. Kills from Sheppard, Collins, and Perry helped get the Owls right to the brink of a win, and then one last kill from Sydney Collins on a great feed by Anna Dravk got the Owls the 25-11 win in set three and the 3-0 match victory.

After New Jersey City University claimed a 3-0 win over Bryn Athyn as well, the day was set to conclude with a battle between Bryn Mawr and the Gothic Knights. The first set started as a back-and-forth affair with neither side able to pull ahead by more than a couple points midway through. The Owls used three early kills from Perry and a couple more from Sheppard and Collins to sneak ahead to a 12-11 lead by the middle of the set. However, NJCU won five of the next six points to give themselves a 16-13 advantage. Sheppard and Munnerlyn combined for a few more kills after that, but the Gothic Knights forced the Owls into a timeout by taking a 21-15 advantage. Bryn Mawr responded well out of Coach Hayley Kirby's timeout, using a kill from Dembele and a service ace by McGuire-Berk to help climb back within three. However, NJCU won the final four points of the set to take a 25-18 win in the opening frame.

After that tough loss in the first set, the wind came out of the Bryn Mawr sails a bit to start the second. NJCU leaped ahead 8-1 out of the gate, but then the Owls started to try and chip away. Several errors from the Gothic Knights helped and kills from Sheppard and Collins got Bryn Mawr all the way back within 11-8. The visitors climbed back ahead 19-10 however, and despite a few more errors from them, the Gothic Knights ultimately claimed a 25-15 win in the second set.

NJCU also had early success in the third set as well, running out to a 15-6 advantage midway through the frame. A kill from Sheppard and several more errors from the Gothic Knights helped stop the bleeding a bit, and then Perry and Dravk added kills of their own late in the set. However, three straight points for the visitors helped NJCU wrap up the third set 25-15 and claim the 3-0 win.

With the results, the Owls move to 5-4 on the season. They will be right back in action on Wednesday evening at home, as they will welcome Gwynedd Mercy to campus for a 7:00 PM matchup in the Class of 1958 Gymnasium.