With the 2022 season just around the corner, Bluffton University is working to get back on the horse after its string of 13 straight trips to the Heartland Conference tournament was snapped last season. The Beavers won four straight HCAC tournament titles from 2013 through 2016 after their first HCAC championship in 2009 when Bluffton went 27-6 with an 8-0 mark in the conference.
Head Coach Steve Yarnell is heading into year 18 at the helm, having 11 appearances in the conference semi-finals and five HCAC tournament titles on his resume. He has mentored two AVCA All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans and five Heartland Conference Players of the Year while earning HCAC Coach of the Year awards in 2009 and 2014!
Bluffton will be without the services of four-year All-HCAC selection Brooke Kleman. She led the conference in digs with 215 in 2021 and is 4th all-time with 1853 career pickups and 2nd with 4.81 digs per set. As a senior, she also became an inaugural member of Bluffton's swim team and finished with eleven school swim records in a variety of races.
Ready to lead from the front is senior Kaylie Campbell (Preble/Shawnee) who was an all-conference performer as a sophomore in 2020-21. She smacked 203 kills with a team-best .220 hitting percentage as a junior. Campbell was also in on 59 blocks (2nd on the team). She finished the season with 242.5 total points.
Also back for the Beavers is the senior setting tandem of Maddie White (Ashland) and Elle Price (Findlay/Pocono Pines, PA). White led Bluffton with 561 assists and she showed her versatility with 244 digs, 142 kills and 58 blocks. Price doled out 300 assists to go along with her 181 digs.
Alysha Like (McComb) gives Bluffton another bona fide standout at the net after hammering home 170 kills as a sophomore. She led the Beavers with 70 blocks while also firing 25 aces in 2021. Courtney Weekley (Butler/Clear Fork) has been a constant in the back since arriving on campus in 2019. As a junior, Weekley picked up 209 digs and she let it fly with 35 aces from the service line, second to only Kleman.
Junior Kelly Armentrout (Lima/Shawnee) and sophomore Chloei Barnett (Wapakoneta) give the Beavers experience and depth at the net, while junior Lindsey Shaw (Findlay/Van Buren) has seen time as a setter and defensive specialist. Bluffton will also welcome 10 newcomers when the Beavers hit the court this fall.
Bluffton opens the season with four matches at Cedar Point on September 2-3 before hosting the annual Sommer Spiketacular on Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10. The Beavers head to Lexington, KY, for the Heartland Conference lidlifter with Transylvania on Saturday, Oct. 1, a week after the Bluffton Fall Invite. Manchester marks the first HCAC home contest four days later. The Beavers wrap up their regular season with RHIT and Earlham in the Sommer on back to back Saturdays at the end of October.
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