BOX SCORE COLUMBUS, Ohio - Led by senior Allison Hostetler's season-high 26 kills, the Capital volleyball team outlasted visiting John Carroll, 3-1 (29-27, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23) to advance to 4-0 in the OAC for the first time since 2005.
Hostetler (Dalton, Ohio/Dalton HS), tallied her 26 kills in only 45 attempts with no errors for a match-best .578 hitting percentage. The middle blocker added five blocks, seven digs and two service aces on the night.
The Crusaders were aided by the strong play of fellow senior Sarah Gallik (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Columbus Grove HS) and freshman Leanne Schaefer (Verona, Wisconsin/Verona HS), who recorded 13 and 10 kills, respectively.
Senior Sara Doebel's (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS) 17 digs were complimented by freshman Shannon Quinn's (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg HS) 11 and senior Jenna Zumberger's (De Graff, Ohio/Fairlawn HS) 10 as CU out hit JCU .303 to .219 in the match.
Zumberger who dished out 51 assists added two service aces to move into a tie for fifth place all-time school history. She now has 138 for her career which is tied with Ann Reed (2001-2004).
Senior Jennifer Fekpe (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson HS) also notched nine of the Crusaders' 65 kills (compared to 49 for the Blue Streaks).
Capital began to assert themselves in the third set after splitting the first two sets, as Hostetler's eight kills led to a .412 hitting percentage for the Crusaders. Conversely, CU's defense limited John Carroll to their worst shooting percentage of the match at .061.
The Crusaders used a team effort to close out the fourth and decisive match against the Blue Streaks, with Hostetler and Gallik leading with way with five kills, while Schaefer notched three kills of her own. Zumberger finished the match in fitting fashion with a service ace on match point.
CU also showed its resolve by overcoming 11 service errors against five for John Carroll. Capital has now won nine of their last 11 matches, and improved to 7-4 at home this season.
The win sets up a key OAC showdown on Saturday at home against #19 Heidelberg (20-4, 5-0 in the OAC) at 1:00 p.m.