November 12, 2008
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BLUFFTON, Ohio - Sophomore SHAUNA ROWLAND(Bucyrus/Wynford) and freshman JENNA ESHLEMAN (Landisville, Penn./Hempfield) have been named first team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2008 season. |
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Rowland, the Beavers' standout setter, was honored by the Heartland Conference coaches following a season in which she distributed 956 assists for a 9.28 assists per game average. She also made her mark defensively with 334 digs (3.24 dpg), the second highest total for Bluffton behind junior libero BRITTANY ROTH (Findlay) who tallied 546 digs. Rowland finished the year with 88 kills, 33 service aces and 29 total blocks. She has 1,424 career assists and 24 career double-doubles, including a team-high 15 in 2008. |
| Freshman sensation Jenna Eshleman paced the Bluffton hitters with a team-high 314 kills (2.96 kpg) in her first season as a Beaver. Her .218 hitting percentage was also tops for the Bluffton front-liners. Eshleman showed her all-around versatility with 326 digs (3.08) per game, the third-best total for the Beavers. She smoked 32 aces and totaled 36 blocks at the net. Eshleman, who was one of just six first year players named to the All-Freshman team, finished with 10 double-doubles and she powered a career-high 24 kills in Bluffton's victory over the University of Findlay. Her work at Findlay propelled Eshleman to Player of the Week honors in the HCAC after piling up 71 kills in four matches. | 
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In addition to the All-Heartland Conference honors that went to Rowland and Eshleman, Bluffton freshman Nicole Wood was named to the 2008 HCAC All-Tournament Team. She finished the tourney with a team-high 23 kills and just six errors for a .293 hitting percentage, including hitting .370 in the three-set victory over Hanover. The Beavers (21-10, 5-3 HCAC) wrapped up their best campaign since 1998, finishing with 10 victories in the final 12 matches of the year. Bluffton won its final four HCAC regular-season contests and claimed wins over each team in the Heartland Conference except MSJ and Anderson which were the top two squads in the pre-season coaches' poll. Full statistics and information on the 2008 volleyball season are available online at www.blufftonbeavers.com/volleyball. -BEAVERS-
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