NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University volleyball team took its first set in Heartland Conference action, but Manchester University won the final two on the way to a 3-1 victory Wednesday night. Bluffton slipped to 5-21 overall and 0-6 in the HCAC, while the Spartans improved to 15-7 and 5-1 in the conference.

Kasey Sager (Troy) and Jenna Woods (DeGraff/Riverside) battered the Spartans with nine kills apiece. Sager hit a whopping .353 and added five blocks. Bekah Pack (Lexington) and Chloei Barnett (Wapakoneta) chimed in with seven and six kills, respectively.

Freshman Mallory Fluharty (Wooster/Triway) doled out 30 assists for the visitors. She also led the Beavers with two aces. Emma Organ (Lambertville, Mich./St. Ursula) picked up a dozen digs to pace the Bluffton defense. Pack was a monster at the net, stuffing the Spartans with six blocks, and Fluharty stuffed the stat sheet with four blocks.

Bluffton is back on the road Saturday, Oct. 28, when the Beavers travel to Richmond, Ind., for a tri-match with HCAC-rival Earlham College and the College of Wooster. The lidlifter with the Quakers is slated for 1 p.m.

-BEAVERS-