The College of Wooster volleyball team dropped a pair of competitive matches during the annual Ginny Hunt Kilt Classic, falling in four sets to both Bluffton College and the University of Olivet inside Timken Gymnasium. 
 
In the first match, Bluffton (7-4) won by set scores of 25-21, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20 while Olivet (3-7) won the nightcap 25-19, 26-24, 20-25, 25-20. 
 
While all sets played were tight, the third set in both matches belonged to the Scots (3-6). Despite dropping set point in the second set against Bluffton, Wooster got ahead early in the third set thanks to kills from senior Kora Burill, sophomore Kennedy Muhlenkamp and an ace from first-year Claire Buchholz. 
 
The Scots' lead kept growing after a 5-0 run halfway through the set, but Bluffton kept battling back and pulled ahead at 21-20. Both teams traded the next few points until the Beavers were only two points away from the win at 23-22. A pair of Bluffton attacking errors followed by a Buchholz kill quickly sealed the third set for the Scots. 
 
After fighting off nine set points in the second set against Olivet, Wooster again used that momentum to its advantage in the third set. A 4-0 run early and a 5-0 run late had the Scots feeling good, but yet again, its opponents had their sights set on a sweep. 
 
The Comets climbed within two points at 20-18 but junior MC Werth, Buchholz and sophomore Ava Hills had other plans. Werth's kill kicked off a small 3-0 run that ended with a Hills-Werth block to give Wooster some breathing room. Buchholz earned the Scots a set point that was eventually converted due to an Olivet service error. 
 
Two Scots hit in double digits against Bluffton as sophomore Caitlin Walsh-Knouff and Buchholz went for 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Muhlenkamp dished out a season-high 47 assists, her fourth game with 40-plus assists on the year, while junior Catherine Muzilla covered the floor with 24 digs. Buchholz recorded her third double-double on the year, notching 11 digs as well. 
 
Freshmen Selma Brant and Aaliyah West were the focus of the Beaver offense with a combined 37 kills on 87 swings. Senior Mallory Fluharty logged 38 assists while junior Saniyah Terry, Fluharty and Brant recorded 20, 15 and 13 digs, respectively. 
 
Buchholz and Walsh-Knouff traded the team lead in the second match as Buchholz had a team-high 12 kills and Walsh-Knouff knocked down 10 of her own. Muhlenkamp had 29 assists and 11 digs while Muzilla again eclipsed the 20-dig mark with 22. 
 
Three Comets recorded double-digit kills between Payton Smith's game-high 15 and 10 each from Maddie Landheerand Aleah Brackett. The dual-setter offense saw Brackett dish out 18 assists and Jordyn Smith went for 16 of her own while five Olivet players reached double-digit digs. 
 
Team wise, Wooster held a slight edge in aces over Bluffton, 9-7, led by a pair each from Jordan Laraway, Natalie Hohman and Adeline Zinger while the blocking game stole the show against Olivet. Hills led the way there with two solo blocks and seven block assists. Muhlenkamp matched Hills in block assists while Werth and Burrill each had five block assists. 
 
Wooster hosts Baldwin Wallace University in non-conference action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside Timken Gymnasium.