Henry Schneiderman
Sports Editor
Last Saturday, Nov. 9, the Fighting Scots Volleyball team ventured to Cleveland, Ohio, to take on the Case Western Reserve Spartans in their final match of the season. Case Western, a member of the University Athletic Association ranked 13th in the nation at the Division III level, a feat that the Scots sought to conquer. Coming off the heels of a narrow 3-2 defeat against the Wilmington College Fightin’ Quakers in a thrilling 5-set fixture that Lucy Kinser ’25 described as “fun, regardless of the outcome,” Wooster hoped to bounce back with a win over the Spartans.
The day began with a powerful showing from the Scots, as 5 kills from Amelia Mitchell ’25 and numerous from Tamara Turner ’25, Izzy Cozzie ’26 and Jordan Laraway ’27 in set 1 kept Wooster in the game. In spite of these efforts, the Scots could not collect closer than a 4 point deficit from the Spartans, with the nearest scoreline landing at 18-14 in the opening period of play. Case Western then broke away to finish the first set 25-17.
Undeterred, the Scots mounted a ferocious effort shortly after that saw them ahead throughout a portion of the game’s second set, leading as late as 15-14 in their own favor. This statline was short lived, however, as the Spartans raised their swords to amass a 5 point scoring run directly after their mid-set disadvantage. Set 2 was home to a number of quality plays from Wooster, such as additional kills throughout from Mitchell and an ace from Kinser near the period’s conclusion. The second set finished 25-19 in the Spartan’s favor.
The third set yielded a strong start for the Scots as early kills from Kora Burill ’27 and Olivia Kitchen ’25 brought the team within 1 point at 6-5 and had the Spartans on their toes. Mitchell once again delivered a powerhouse performance in the final set, landing 3 kills on Case Western. Cathrine Muzilla ’28 and Natalie Hohman ’27 kept the team in the action throughout the third as they continued multiple rallies with 5 and 4 digs, respectively. In the end, these efforts weren’t enough to keep Wooster in the game, as Case Western overwhelmed the Scots 25-13 and concluded the match with a 3-0 sweep.
Despite the losing result, this match yielded a number of highlight performances from the Scots as the team banded together to challenge a strong opponent. Notably, seniors Mitchell and Kinser showed up in this final match of their collegiate careers as they led Wooster’s statline in kills and digs. Mitchell recorded 12 kills on the night while Kinser amassed 14 digs. Wooster had a strong defensive showing throughout the match as Hohman delivered 13 digs and Turner had 11 — she also had 6 kills.
To round out the season, Mitchell and Emma Fleck ’27 left their marks on the team as they both concluded the year with top-5 single-season marks in the program’s history. Mitchell’s historic statline came in her impressive 48 aces on the season that ranked top-5 highest in the team’s history. Additionally, Fleck left her mark as she delivered an incredible 910 assists throughout the season, a stat placing her fifth amongst players of the last 17 seasons. “We played extremely well against Case Western,” Kinser reflected, “Being a senior, I wanted to soak up every second of this [final] match. Playing in that match, knowing it’s your last ever game, my whole volleyball career flashed before my eyes from the first time getting my overhand serve over the net, to senior day with my best friends and family by my side… This season was one that everyone should be proud of. We improved in every aspect — our team dynamic, statistically, and overall performance; we really [owe] a lot of that credit to our new assistant coach, she really came in and changed the game for us… I think she’s really going to continue to facilitate growth in our program in years to come and foster a new generation of leadership and discipline.”
With this result, the Fighting Scots’ Volleyball season comes to a close as the team begins preparations for next fall. Go Scots!
