Posted: Oct 23, 2010
October 23, 2010
By: Erin Oberly, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's volleyball team exited their final regular season match in Founders Hall with a crucial victory under their belts as they defeated HCAC rival Rose-Hulman in three sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17. The Beavers played lights out defense, literally, on Senior Night, as midway through the first set, with Rose leading 13-12 on the heels of a Bluffton timeout, the power in Founders as well as Bluffton as a whole went out for over 90 minutes. When play resumed, the Beavers took advantage and rolled off a 25-20 victory in the first set which spanned two and a half hours.
Seniors MANDI LEEMASTER (Fremont/Old Fort), HEATHER RODMAN (Mansfield/Mansfield-Christian), SHAUNA ROWLAND(Bucyrus/Wynford), and ALLISON STREICHER(Continental/Continental) were honored prior to this afternoon's match. With the win, the Beavers improved to 19-6 and 5-2 in the HCAC while Rose-Hulman slipped to 16-7 overall and 4-3 in the HCAC.
A balanced attack allowed Rowland to distribute 32 assists. Junior NICOLE WOOD (Tiffin/Hopwell-Loudon) led all Bluffton's hitters with 10 kills, and she was followed by the trio of Streicher, junior COURTNEY ZIMMERMAN (Leesburg/Fairfield), and sophomore HEATHER SCHIERER (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) who pounded eight kills each. Rodman rounded out the offense with seven kills.
Rowland also led the team with 15 digs, while Leemaster and Streicher chipped in nine digs and Schierer scooped up eight digs. At the net, Zimmerman led with two solo block and three block assists and Rodman had one solo block and three assists. Schierer and Streicher also contributed on the defensive frontline as they had three and two block assists, respectively. Schierer served eight straight points in the second, helping Bluffton put a 5-0 deficit to start the set in the rearview mirror as the home team pulled away for the 25-19 win.
The Beavers finish out their regular season schedule on the road when they next travel to rival Defiance College for a Wednesday night showdown. They will then take on non-conference opponent DePauw University on Friday night before tackling HCAC foe Franklin College Saturday afternoon.
-BEAVERS-