October 11, 2017
By: Lynsey Trusty, sports information assistant                        

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University volleyball team served up a third Heartland Conference win in a row with a three-set sweep of rival Defiance College on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the Sommer Center. The Beavers improved to 3-1 in the HCAC and 12-9 overall, while Defiance (8-9, 3-1 HCAC) suffered its first conference setback.

The long-time rivals rallied back and forth throughout the first set until the Beavers hit the green light at 20-17. They went on a 5-0 run to cap off the 25-17 victory. Late in the second set, freshman Sarah Heydinger (Tiro/Buckeye Central) knocked down two kills for a slim 21-18 edge. Following a couple Defiance errors, the Beavers held on for a 25-21 win.

Sydney Mohler (Lima/Central Catholic) was the starting server for the third set. The standout senior led the team on a 6-0 run to start the clincher. Bluffton sided out after a kill by Heydinger. The Beavers went on multiple runs during the third set and took advantage of Defiance's errors for a 25-9 shellacking of the Jackets. The home team pounded 14 kills with just one error for a blistering .481 hitting percentage.

Bethany Martini (Pickerington/North) powered the offense again with a spectacular 16 kills and eight digs. Jessie Gibson (Warsaw/River View) tallied eight kills with no errors for a sweltering .471 hitting percentage and Remi Bower (Deshler/Patrick Henry) added six kills.

Junior Erin Weisgarber (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) dished out 31 assists and picked up 10 digs in the three-set victory. Abby Rohrbach (New Knoxville) helped in the defensive effort and came up with 10 digs. Mohler only needed five pickups to surpass 2,000 digs in her Bluffton career. She notched 15 against Defiance, giving her 2,010 heading to Transylvania. Mohler is currently second in the conference for digs.

Bluffton jumps back into action on Friday, Oct. 13, when the Beavers travel to Lexington, Ky. for a tri-match with the Pioneers and Hendrix. The Heartland Conference showdown with Transy is slated for 4 p.m.

-BEAVERS-