January 8, 2008

The Bluffton University volleyball team had an outstanding semester in the classroom, ending the fall with a team GPA of 3.4.  The Beavers placed seven members on the Dean's List (3.6 and above) for the 2007 fall semester. Six other Beavers finished with a 3.0 or higher. 

Senior RACHEL ALVAREZ (Convoy/Crestview) was joined on the Dean's List by juniors KATE BARNETT (North Bloomfield/Lakeview) and CHELSEA WYSE (Archbold/Archbold) while freshmen CRYSTAL AUGSBURGER (Bowling Green/Bowling Green), BRITTANY DUFF (Wapakoneta/Wapakoneta), KAYLA PICKERING (Jamestown/Greenview), and BRIANA RAPP (West Jefferson/Jonathan Alder) all made the Dean's list during their first semester at Bluffton.

Finishing the fall semester with a 3.0 GPA or higher were sophomores BRITTANY ROTH(Findlay/Findlay) and MICHELE ROSEN (Harrison/Harrison), as well as freshmen ERYN MYGRANT (Peru, Ind./North Miami), LOGAN LEMASTER (Jamestown/Greenview), SHAUNA ROWLAND (Bucyrus/Wynford), and BLAKE ZICKAFOOSE(Lima/Lima Senior).

Coach Steve Yarnell was extremely impressed with how his squad balanced academics and athletics during the fall semester, especially considering that 11 of his 16 players were freshmen. He stated, "I am very proud of the dedication that these student-athletes have put forth both on and off the court.  Their success individually and as a team represents all that a NCAA Division III athlete is supposed to be."

The end of the year banquet celebrated the year's accomplishments by the 2007 Beaver volleyball team. Senior Rachel Alvarez was selected as the award winner of the "Bucky Beaver Award." The Bucky Beaver Award is awarded to the athlete that displays the qualities of a Beaver; intelligent, hard-working and a determination to get the job done. Freshman Kayla Pickering was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player for her record-shattering 2007 season. Sophomore Brittany Roth was named Academic All-Heartland Conference for her continued excellence in the classroom.

-BEAVERS-