In the victory, the Beavers saw a well-rounded cast contribute to the win. The Beavers out-dug, out-hit and out-blocked the Panthers in nearly every major category. Offensively, the Beavers hit a mere .134, so it was their defense, led by senior libero BRITTANY ROTH(Findlay) with 16 digs, that helped them to victory. Roth was followed by stellar defensive efforts from junior SHAUNA ROWLAND (Bucyrus/Wynford) and sophomore JENNA ESHLEMAN (Landisville, Penn./Hempfield) with 13 and 12 digs, respectively.

 

Rowland also got it done at the net with her four block assists, however, it was sophomore middle hitter HEATHER RODMAN(Mansfield/Mansfield Christian) that anchored the wall on the Beaver defensive front line with her six block assists and single solo block. COURTNEY ZIMMERMAN (Leesburg/Fairfield) also proved to be a force at the net as she had two solo blocks and three block assists.

 

Rowland directed the offense with her 34 assists. Junior opposite hitter ALLISON STREICHER (Continental) led the Beaver attack with 13 kills on the afternoon. She was followed by Eshleman who slammed down eight kills, NICOLE WOOD (Tiffin/Hopewell-Loudon) with seven, and Rodman with six. The Beavers also served up seven service aces, with Roth tallying up four of them.

 

The win over the Panthers has the Beavers off to a flawless start in conference play, and has earned them the top stop in the HCAC. Bluffton returns to action at home in Founders Hall when they welcome the Ravens of Anderson University on Thursday, October 8, at 7 p.m.