October 1, 2008
ANDERSON, Ind. - The Bluffton University volleyball team struggled to consistently pass the ball to setter SHAUNA ROWLAND(Bucyrus/Wynford) as Anderson University improved to 3-1 in the Heartland Conference and 9-10 overall. The Beavers dropped to 11-6 and 1-1 in the HCAC following the four-set loss.
Anderson used solid defense and timely hitting to take the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-18. Bluffton stayed within reach early in each set, but the Ravens rarely allowed Bluffton to put together sequences of multiple points.
In the third set, Bluffton built a 19-15 lead which forced a Raven timeout. Anderson pulled even and forced Bluffton back on its heals before the Beavers scored the final two points for a 25-23 win. Sophomore ALLISON STREICHER (Continental/Continental) carried the load in set three, pounding seven kills on just eight swings with no errors for a .875 hitting percentage. Also punishing the Ravens was freshman NICOLE WOOD (Tiffin/Hopewell Loudon) who had five kills on 11 attempts with no errors in Bluffton's 25-23 victory.
The visitors jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the clincher, but Anderson rolled off seven consecutive points and never looked back. The Ravens improved to 3-1 in the HCAC following a convincing 25-16 victory in the fourth set.
Freshman JENNA ESHLEMAN (Landisville, Penn./Hempfield) smoked a team-high 13 kills in the match. She also led Bluffton with 21 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Streicher reached double digits with 11 spikes and four errors for a .233 hitting percentage. Wood finished the match with eight kills while hitting .240.
Rowland put together her 17th career double-double with 38 assists and 19 digs. Freshman MORGAN HICKS (Convoy/Crestview) and junior BRITTANY ROTH (Findlay/Findlay) chipped in with 16 and 13 digs, respectively. Eshleman and Hicks both established new career-highs in digs with their efforts against the Ravens.
The Beavers return to action when they travel to Mt. St. Joseph for an HCAC contest on Oct. 7, 2008. The match is slated to start at 7 p.m.