By Tim Stried, SID
September 4, 2002

The Bluffton College volleyball team took a big step forward Wednesday night as the Beavers stepped up their play to show they belonged on the court with the 16th ranked team in the country.

The box score will show that Ohio Northern University improved to 4-1 with a 3-0 win over the now 1-4 Bluffton squad at the ONU Sports Complex, but two important items paint a different picture for those backing the royal purple and white squad of head coach Sara Wakefield.

First of all, Bluffton either held a lead or tied the score mid-way through each of the three games. The final line score may read ONU won the match 30-23, 30-23, 30-27, but the Beavers are just the second team so far this season to score over 20 points in every game against the talented and experienced Polar Bears.

Second, the Beavers showed flashes of outstanding play that was evident throughout the match, especially from Ohio Northern head coach Kate Witte. "Bluffton played with a lot of emotion tonight," said the veteran ONU mentor. "They played with great emotion and we played with none. They out-played us tonight and we took some large steps backward."

Bluffton individual match statistical leaders will be posted here when available.

Bluffton will look to continue their improvement this weekend at the Wooster College Invitational.

With ONU sports information reports