October 8, 2007
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Bluffton University volleyball team picked up its second Heartland Conference victory in as many days when it downed an improving Rose-Hulman squad on Saturday, October 6, 2007. The Beavers followed their road victory at Franklin on Friday night with a four-game win over the Engineers on Saturday before a talented DePauw team stopped the Beavers' streak at two wins. Bluffton upped its mark to 9-11 overall and 2-2 in HCAC action while Rose-Hulman fell to 10-7 overall with a 0-3 mark in conference play.
The Beavers looked sharp in their victory over the Engineers after Rose-Hulman took game one by a 30-21 score. Quickly turning the tide, Bluffton gave up only 16, 21 and 27 points in the final three games on its way to a 2-2 mark in the Heartland Conference. For the match, Bluffton slammed home 74 kills with only 24 errors for a .286 hitting percentage.
Freshman KAYLA PICKERING (Jamestown/Greenview), who finished the day with a pair of double-doubles, led the Beavers with 21 kills and 16 digs. She ended the match with only four errors on 42 total attacks for a team-high .405 hitting percentage. Also having a career day for Bluffton was freshman CRYSTAL AUGSBURGER(Bowling Green/Bowling Green) who pounded 19 kills for a .389 hitting percentage. Sophomore MICHELE ROSEN(Harrison/Harrison) added 10 kills in the victory. ALLISON STREICHER (Continental/Continental) and RACHEL ALVAREZ(Convoy/Crestview) finished with eight and seven kills, respectively.
Narrowly missing her third career triple-double, freshman SHAUNA ROWLAND (Bucyrus/Wynford) paced the victors with 37 assists, 10 digs and eight kills while hitting .438 for the match. Sophomore libero BRITTANY ROTH (Findlay/Findlay) chipped in with 13 digs and senior Rachel Alvarez ripped a team-high three aces in the victory.
In the nightcap, Bluffton had its two-match win streak snapped by DePauw (30-23, 30-24, 30-22).
Kayla Pickering again put up big numbers for the Beavers, knocking home a team-high 11 kills and picking up 17 digs which also led Bluffton. With her two double-doubles on Saturday, Pickering has nine for the season. Rosen had a fine match at the net with nine kills and only three errors for a .300 hitting percentage. Rowland and Augsburger, who had one solo block and four block assists, chipped in with six kills apiece. Rowland set up the Bluffton hitters with 16 assists against the Tigers.
The Beavers will have the week off before they travel to Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 13, for the Thomas More Invitational. The Beavers will face the Saints at 12 p.m. on Saturday in the first of four matches slated for the weekend, which includes battles with Spalding, Mount Union and Thiel.
-BEAVERS-