BLUFFTON, Ohio - An experienced Bluffton University volleyball team has the tools to make its mark in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference that will have a different look in 2024. Gone to the NAIA is Bluffton's closest rival Defiance College, while Berea College, from the heart of Kentucky, is now part of the 10-school HCAC!
Head Coach Steve Yarnell is heading into year 20 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!
The lone 2023 senior gone following graduation is Kelly Armentout who took her coaching talents to neighboring Ohio Northern. She finished her career with 233 kills, 87 blocks and 13 aces while playing in 231 total sets for the Beavers.
Although Armentrout is no longer an option, four of the top five hitters are back for Bluffton, including junior Jenna Woods (DeGraff/Riverside), who hit .110 with 249 kills, 36 blocks and 85 digs. Chloei Barnett (Wapakoneta) is back for her final run after smashing 233 kills on a .147 hitting percentage. She was in on 24 blocks as a junior. Kasey Sager (Troy) notched HCAC All-Freshman honors thanks to 170 putaways and a team-high 64 blocks! Also back for her second campaign is sophomore Chloe Sample (Springfield/Catholic Central) who chipped in with 112 kills and 110 digs.
Emma Organ (Lambertville, MI/St. Ursula Academy) has piled up over 700 digs in her first two seasons but she will be sidelined for the season with an injury after serving as the starting libero much of her first two years as a Beaver. Fellow junior Bekah Pack (Lexington) gives the Beavers starting experience at the net, having spent time in the middle and on the right side. She tallied 78 kills and 41 blocks as a sophomore.
A pair of 2023 freshman played significant roles in their first year at Bluffton. Mallory Fluharty (Wooster/Triway) doled out 645 assists, fired 29 aces and had a hand in 29 blocks as the primary setter. Abby Lawhorn (Cable/Mechanicsburg) split time with Organ at libero on the way to 280 digs and she was outstanding at the service line, rifling a team-high 46 aces! She will be counted on heavily with Organ on the sideline.
Junior Paige Massie (Alvada/Arcadia) tallied 55 kills in 2022 and then went on to make her mark with the track and field team the following spring. After missing most of her sophomore campaign, Massie looks to return to her freshman form, giving the Beavers another proven option at the net. Serving specialist Kennedy Parker (Lima/Central Catholic) let it rip with 25 aces and 56 digs in 95 sets as a junior.
Also returning is sophomore Gabby Williams (West Liberty/West Liberty-Salem) who dished out 155 assists while picking up 73 digs as a freshman in 2022.
Bluffton will tee off at Sandusky once again, battling Monmouth and Oberlin at Cedar Point on Friday, August 30, before taking on Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg the following day. The Sommer Center Spiketacular is slated for Sept. 13-14 on the campus of Bluffton University. The Beavers will lock horns with Wilmington, Hilbert, Denison and Penn State-Behrend before Ohio Northern makes the short tip on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Heartland Conference action fires up on Saturday, Oct. 5, with a trip to national-power Transylvania University. The home finale sees Bluffton hosting Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Nov. 2, before the season wraps with trips to Mount St. Joseph and Hanover.
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