Volleyball – The Oberlin Review

Despite Slow Season, Volleyball Looks to Impress in Season-Ending NCAC Championship Tournament

November 8, 2019

As their season comes to an end, Oberlin’s varsity volleyball team has one more opportunity to seek success after a relatively slow season. The team hopes to defeat their North Coast Athletic Conference counterparts in an attempt to receive an automatic bid to move forward into the NCAA Division III tournament. Seeded eighth out of nine teams, the Yeowomen (1-7) will travel to the Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield, OH tomorrow, home of the previous NCAC league champions Wittenberg Universit...

OC Athletics Off-Season: The Grind Never Stops

Maranda Phillips

November 8, 2019

Oberlin’s varsity athletes never stop working. Even after the end of their seasons, athletes continue to practice, work out, and push themselves to refine and perfect their athletic craft. As the semester reaches its final weeks and the weather transitions from fall to winter, sports like soccer and field hockey have come to an end, while winter sports like basketball are just beginning. Sometimes, off-season conditioning can even be more strenuous than during the regular season — the idea be- ing that this hard work and perseverance will pay off for athletes when their sport comes back the next year. After the season ends, however, athletes normally get one to two weeks for recovery. Sydnie Savarese, a C...

Oberlin Celebrates Homecoming Weekend

October 11, 2019

The campus seemed to be abuzz with energy from students and non-students alike when Homecoming Weekend approached. Homecoming Weekend is always a time for members of the Oberlin College and community to come together. Whether it is families coming to Oberlin to watch their student-athlete perform on the field or alumni visiting old friends, there is always something that draws people to Oberlin’s campus. The festivities began Friday with the Heisman Club’s annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony...

Women’s Volleyball Takes Home First NCAC Win Of the Season

October 4, 2019

The women’s volleyball team picked up their first NCAC win of the season at Philips gym last Wednesday night. It was a collective effort with the defense and offense putting forth their best game. College second-year Natasha Radic cited team dynamics as a key factor contributing to their win against Allegheny College. “We’re a really close team, and when all of us can connect we’re a team that’s hard to stop,” Radic said. “It felt great to feel like we were all playing to...

Varsity Athletes Find Teammates and Friends in Former Competitors

October 4, 2019

Oberlin students come from 39 different states in the U.S. and more than 30 countries around the world. This diversity is reflected in the athletics department, where athletes from all over the world compete for the College. Despite these circumstances, several athletes have had encounters with and even competed against their current teammates during their high school careers. These encounters, while not necessarily significant in the moment, can be a unique experience that later develops in...

Volleyball’s Mitchell Named DIII HERO of the Week

Julie Schreiber, Senior Staff Writer

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...