October 3, 2006
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University volleyball team met the Battling Bishops from Ohio Wesleyan for the second time this season on Tuesday, October 3, 2006, in Founders Hall. After a rough first game, the Beavers regrouped to take game two before dropping two close games as Ohio Wesleyan took the match by a score of 3-1 (30-11, 28-30, 30-24, 30-27). Following the loss, the Beavers are now 6-16, 0-1 in the Heartland Conference.
Bluffton dug a hole in the first game, 5-1, and never recovered. Following a Bishop serve into the net making the score 16-9 in favor of Ohio Wesleyan, the Beavers gave up seven straight points making the score 23-9. The Bishops kept their intensity high as they allowed Bluffton only two more points in the game on their way to a lopsided 30-11 victory.
With the second game going back-and-forth, Bluffton used a six-point run to open up a 17-9 advantage. The Beavers continued to use Bishop errors and strong middle hitting as they built a seemingly insurmountable 22-13 lead late in the game. Ohio Wesleyan was undaunted by the deficit as the Bishops put together a four-point and a five-point run, trimming the Bluffton lead to one point, 27-26. Freshman middle hittter ANNA VIARS (Lebanon/Lebanon), who caused Ohio Wesleyan problems each time she touched the ball, pounded two kills for the final points in the match as the Beavers escaped game two with a 30-28 win.
In game three, the Bishops used a five-point swing early on to go up, 10-4, over Bluffton. Down 17-10, the Beavers rolled off five points of their own to trim the Ohio Wesleyan lead to two points, 17-15. Another five-point Bishop spurt proved to be the difference as Ohio Wesleyan took the third game by a score of 30-24.
The Beavers came out strong in the fourth game, taking an early 6-3 lead and still maintaining the lead at 8-7. A 12-2 OWU run put the Bishops in command, 19-10, before the Beaver faithful watched Bluffton attempt an unlikely comeback. Still down 29-22, the Beavers rallied for five consecutive points to trim the OWU advantage to two points as the Bishops were back on their heels, but Ohio Wesleyan averted the upset when it knocked down the kill it needed for a 30-27 win.
Viars led the Beavers with 14 kills on only 28 total attacks while hitting a team-high .286. MICHELE ROSEN (Harrison/Harrison) also knocked down double-digits in kills as she finished with 11 on .233 hitting. At the net, AUDRA COLEMAN (Lima/Central Catholic) was in on eight blocks while Rosen chipped in with five block assists. Defensively, BRITTANY ROTH(Findlay/Findlay) and BRITTANY SHULTZ (Hudson, Ind./Prairie Heights) paced Bluffton with 12 and 11 digs respectively. Shultz tallied 31 assists in the loss to the Bishops.
The Beavers return to action on Thursday, October 5, when they will host their second home contest of the week against HCAC rival Franklin College. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Founders Hall.