By Tim Stried
October 29, 2002

The Bluffton College volleyball team was defeated 3-1 (24-30, 31-29, 16-30, 20-30) Tuesday evening in Founders Hall by Franklin College in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference match.

Bluffton falls to 10-23 on the season and 2-3 in the HCAC, while Franklin remains undefeated in the league with a perfect 6-0 HCAC record. Franklin, currently ranked fifth in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Poll, improves to 22-5 overall.

The match was the last home contest of the season for the Beavers and the final match in Founders Hall for Bluffton senior Janelle Beck (Bloomdale/Arcadia H.S.).

Bluffton came out strong against the Grizzlies, who defeated BC 3-1 earlier this season in a non-conference match at Wheaton College, Ill. The Beavers led in the first game 24-22 before falling 30-24, then jumped out quickly in the second game, holding leads of 17-6 and 20-11 before Franklin came back to tie the game at 27-27. An ace by Beck gave Bluffton a 29-27 lead but Franklin came back again to tie the game at 29-29. BC scored the next two points, however, to win the game 31-29 to tie the match at 1-1.

Franklin took control of the match from there, however, winning game three 30-16 and game four 30-20 without allowing Bluffton to gain a lead in either game.

Sophomore Erin Kreim (New Washington/Buckeye Central) led Bluffton with 10 kills, while freshman Keri Kuhlman (Shelby) was close behind with nine kills. Junior Erin Cooper (Wooster) posted a team-high 20 assists and sophomore Kelly Kettinger (Oregon/Clay) collected had a team-high 20 digs.

Bluffton will travel to Hanover College on Nov. 2 and then to Mt. St. Joseph on Nov. 5 before entering the HCAC tournament at Franklin on Nov. 9.