Volleyball – The Oberlin Review

Volleyball’s Mitchell Named DIII HERO of the Week

November 2, 2018

College junior and volleyball star Lexi Mitchell was voted the DIII HERO of the Week by HERO Sports for the week of Oct. 23 after collecting 24 kills, 23 digs, and 6 aces against Denison University Oct. 16. In what has been an outstanding collegiate career, Mitchell’s last season for the Yeowomen has been her best. Mitchell didn’t always see herself as a college volleyball player. When she was a senior in high school, Mitchell’s younger sister was preparing to play Division III volleyball at the University of Chicago. Mitchell, on the other hand, didn’t think she was at the same level as her sister, let alone good enough to play at the collegiate level. Her high school coach thought otherwise. �...

Volleyball Gets Back on Track with Two Wins

September 14, 2018

The Oberlin College volleyball team picked up a pair of wins Saturday against Franciscan University and La Roche College, giving them confidence and momentum heading into another busy weekend filled with four games. “We had a great week of practice and worked on making some adjustments from the previous weekend,” Head Volleyball Coach Erica Rau said. “We focused a lot on our communication, and that definitely came through [this past] weekend.” The wins snapped the Yeowomen’s three-ga...

Yeowomen Split Weekend, Earn NCAC Tournament Bid

November 3, 2017

The Yeowomen split their two games last Saturday, winning against the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets and falling to the Westminster Titans. The volleyball team, which holds a 12–13 record this year, is preparing for the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament, which kicks off today against the Kenyon College Ladies. With an opportunity to finish with more wins than losses for the first time this decade, Head Coach Erica Rau credits her team’s improvement to her team’s leadership. �...

Volleyball Crushes Competition

September 22, 2017

The Yeowomen carried their scorching start to the season into Wednesday night’s game against the John Carroll University Blue Streaks, as they dropped just one set in the win. With a 9–3 record, Oberlin heads into its first North Coast Athletic Conference game riding a four-game win streak. The first set was a closely-fought, back and forth battle with the Blue Streaks. The Yeowomen were able to pull away behind the efforts of sophomore outside hitter Lexi Mitchell, whose kill gave Oberlin the win...

Yeowomen Volleyball Impresses in Opening Tournament

September 8, 2017

The Yeowomen volleyball team began its season on a strong note at the River City Invitational in Marietta, Ohio last weekend. With a strong returning core built around three senior captains — Claudia Scott, Dana Thomas, and Lola Gatti — the Yeowomen are setting expectations and goals for this season. Erica Rau, who begins her seventh season as head coach of the volleyball team, hopes to see large contributions from every class this season. “We have a very strong senior class, along with a lot...

Volleyball Takes Set from Top-Seeded Tigers

November 11, 2016

Despite taking the third set from the top-seeded Wittenberg University Tigers 25–22, the Yeowomen dropped the match 3–1 in the first round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Putting up a valiant fight against the No. 7 Tigers was encouraging for the Yeowomen, who finished their season 7–20 overall and 1–7 in the NCAC. “We played some of the best volleyball we’ve played all year and we ended up taking a set off them, which I’ve never done in the six years I’ve been...

Yeowomen Face Fierce Competition in California

October 28, 2016

The women’s volleyball team took to Southern California over fall break to battle Chapman University, Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental College. For a team used to weathering the seasons in one of the coldest regions in the U.S., the chance to spend a week at the beach while facing fresh, non-conference competition was an exciting prospect. “Spending your week playing your sport in California is an opportunity any Midwestern, cornfield-dwelling student would be grateful for,” senior middle hitter...

Crucial Conference Matches Await Yeowomen

Julie Schreiber

September 30, 2016

The Yeowomen wrapped up Homecoming weekend with Senior Day festivities at home last Friday night, but the celebrations stopped there. The team, which is currently on a four-game losing streak, fell in a close match to North Coast Athletic Conference rival Kenyon College, 3–2, on its home court in Philips gym. The setback pushed the Yeowomen back to 0–2 in conference and 4–7 overall. Moving forward, the team will focus on the opportunities that the remainder of the season presents. Head Coach Erica Rau said that her team is more like a “family,” and that she expects them to continue lifting each other up in the face of adversity. “This is the most supportive, thoughtful, friendly group of young women...

Yeowomen Muster Quick Turnaround in Pittsburgh Play

September 9, 2016

This past weekend, the women’s volleyball team travelled to Pittsburgh to play a total of four games over the course of two days. The Yeowomen split the weekend series recording two wins and two losses. The first loss was a close match against the Washington & Jefferson Presidents on Friday that ended in a score of 3–2. Despite the final score, the Yeowomen dominated the majority of the game and fought through some challenges throughout the match. “We were actually beating them pretty...

Yeowomen Fail to Snag NCAC Title

November 13, 2015

The volleyball team fell short this weekend in its effort to capture a North Coast Athletic Conference tournament title. Oberlin matched up against the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops in the first round of the playoffs. Ohio Wesleyan spent little time reminding their opponents of why they were second in the NCAC standings this year and fifth in the rankings for the Great Lakes region, winning the first set 25–19. In the second set, Oberlin could not rebound, losing 25–20 at the...

Terriers Defeat Yeowomen in Three Sets

October 2, 2015

Riding high off of recent victories, the Yeowomen’s volleyball team took to the court to face the Hiram College Terriers this past Wednesday but were unable to extend their four-game winning streak. They were defeated in three straight sets: 25–18, 25–21 and 25–22. This marked the first loss of the season for the Yeowomen in the North Coast Athletic Conference, moving them to 2–1 in conference and 6–8 overall. The Yeowomen offered little contest in the first set, which Hiram easily...

Oberlin Falls to Michigan-Dearborn

September 4, 2015

The University of Michigan-Dearborn overpowered Oberlin at the net on Tuesday as their 9.5 blocks bested the Yeowomen’s four to defeat them in their season-opening match. The Yeowomen fell 26–24 in the first set before winning their lone set of the match 28–26 in the second. But UMB swept the remainder of the game, as the Wolverines won the final two sets 25–19 and 25–23. Each match was close between the two non-conference opponents; the largest point differential among the sets was...