BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University volleyball team placed three Beavers on the 2019 All-Heartland Conference teams which were announced on Monday, Nov. 11. Remi Bower (Deshler/Patrick Henry) continued Bluffton's tradition of outside hitters earning First Team honors, while fellow junior Sarah Heydinger (Tiro/Buckeye Valley) and sophomore Brooke Kleman (Glandorf/Ottawa-Glandorf) notched Honorable Mention All-HCAC for their work on the court.
Bower led the Heartland Conference with 419 kills and her 3.81 kills per set were third in the HCAC. She hammered home a career-high 24 kills in a match three times this season, including against long-time rival Defiance College on the final Wednesday of regular season play. Bower showed her versatility with 178 digs, 46 blocks and 20 service aces. She paced the Beavers with 468.5 points as a junior.
Making her mark on the record books, Bower is currently 2nd all-time with 3.81 kills per set this season, while her 419 kills are 10th all time. She is also 4th on the career list with 2.92 kills per set heading into her senior campaign. Bower needs just 107 kills to eclipse 1,000 for her career.
Another junior who has been a mainstay in Bluffton's lineup the past three season, Sarah Heydinger was named Honorable Mention All-HCAC after blasting away with a career-best best 262 kills which leaves her just 26 away from 500 career spikes. Her 25 blocks pushed Heydinger to 100 for her career. She also chipped in with 64 digs and 12 aces.
Brooke Kleman, who was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2018, earned Honorable Mention acclaim for the second straight season. She finished 6th in the conference with 479 digs, giving her 1,012 following two seasons as the Beaver libero. Kleman is currently 4th all-time on the career list with 4.73 digs per set. The back row specialist fired a team-best 36 aces and added 78 assists as a sophomore.
Bluffton ended the 2019 season with a mark of 7-24 overall and returned to the Heartland Conference Tournament for the 12th consecutive season.
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