The Allegheny Gators fought their way back against the Oberlin Yeowomen with a five set victory on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The Gators improved to 11-4 on the season and 1-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while the Yeowomen fell to 8-6 and 1-2 in conference play. With the defeat of Oberlin, Allegheny snapped a three-game losing streak and won their first regular season conference matchup since Oct. 21, 2015.

In a back-and-forth matchup, the Gators lost the first set 25-17, but won the second and third sets 25-21 and 25-20. Oberlin knotted the series at two apiece with a 25-18 victory in the fourth game by erasing a 3-0 Gator lead and then going on an 8-0 run. However, Allegheny never looked back with a 15-7 finish in the final set.

One of the defining moments of the comeback came in the second set when libero Taylor Besch, ’22, had a dig that was unable to result in a set as several Gators converged on the play with no one calling for the ball. At the time, the Gators were trailing 9-5 but went on a 6-2 tear to tie the game at 11. Allegheny and Oberlin nearly traded point for point before the Gators took a 17-16 lead and never looked back.

Head Coach Kelly Barzak explained how her team was able to keep calm under pressure throughout the matchup.

“They were able to keep the energy, the momentum throughout the game and that’s huge in volleyball is momentum,” Barzak said. “And in that fifth set, we were able to start off really strong.”

Another key moment for the Gators occurred in the third set as Olivia D’Andrea, ’22, recorded her one-thousandth career assist as a setter. D’Andrea explained what this accomplishment means to her.

“My family was here tonight,” D’Andrea said. “My team obviously was here. It was great hitting a milestone around people who love you and celebrate your every point.”

After achieving this mark, D’Andrea’s fourth-year teammate Besch gave her a hug on the court before continuing the third set. D’Andrea discussed her friendships with her fellow fourth-year teammate.

“(Besch) is my roommate,” D’Andrea said. “We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve played on the team since we were freshmen and she means the world to me.”

Comradery has been an integral part of the Gators’ success this season. Allegheny earned nine straight victories from Sept. 4 to Sept. 18. Over that span, the Gators were 27-1 in their sets; the only loss came against Waynesburg. The winning streak marked the first time since Sept. 23 to Sept. 30, 1995, that the Gators won nine straight matchups in a season.

Barzak commented that the friendships formed on her team led to the historic stretch.

“This team has been so much fun to coach,” Barzak said. “The team chemistry is unbelievable. They are all working really well together and I honestly think with how they are working together is the reason why we’ve been able to have nine games in a row and accomplish that throughout the season.”

Barzak listed out many of the x-factors throughout the season but mentioned that everyone has played their part on the team

“Emma (Chambers, ’24) on the outside, Cheyenne (Wilson, ’23) on the outside, blocking in the middle from India (McCruter, ’24), strong swings from Kendall (Crum, ’23),” Barzak said. “Honestly, everyone has been playing really well. I can’t just pick one person on the team because they are all stepping up.”

A couple of players that Barzak highlighted also lead the Gators in major categories this season. For example, Chambers paces Allegheny 138 kills and 149 points overall.

“I think just the ball is in the right place,” Chambers said. “When the setters set in the right place I can see the block and I can just swing as hard as I can knowing that my teammates are behind me even if I get blocked. So, I can just swing and if it hits the floor, it hits the floor.”

Meanwhile, McCruter issued a season-high nine blocks versus Oberlin and has a team-leading 49 blocks for the Gators. Overall, McCruter feels grateful that she can play against other colleges this year.

“There are days where I have to get up at 4:50 a.m. for 6 a.m. practice,” McCruter said. “I am not saying that we didn’t know what to look forward to because I was a freshman, but now coming in as a sophomore I cannot even put it into words how I feel. All the work paid off for something.”

Gator fans can watch the record-setting women’s volleyball team in person as they fight to win their second consecutive NCAC match against Kenyon on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.