By: Colton Steiner

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University volleyball team came into their tri-match hoping to end a four-game losing streak as they would go up aginst the Berea Mountaineers and the Wooster Fighting Scots on Saturday, Oct. 18. Bluffton kicked off the day by going up against the Mountaineers and despite losing the first set, they would cruise to a 3-1 win. In their second matchup of the day, the Beavers dominated in a 3-0 sweep over Wooster, finishing the day with a pair of wins. Bluffton now sits at a record of 12-14 overall, while improving to 1-2 in the HCAC. 

In the first contest of the afternoon, Berea would start off strong, hitting their best set of the day with a .194 percentage and 10 kills, sneaking out a 25-23 win. Despite losing the first set, Bluffton still managed to hit .219 for the set with 13 kills to start the afternoon. The Beavers would even up the matchup at 1-1 after cruising to a 25-16 set two win. Holding the Mountaineers to -.200 for the set while smacking down 10 kills.

After tying the contest at 1-1, they would carry the momentum from set two into set three, with a 25-15 victory to go up 2-1 thanks to a hitting percentage of .286. The home team held Berea to their worst set of the day at the net with a -.231 percentage. Leading 2-1, the Beavers would not let up as they took the fourth set in their biggest win of the contest with a 25-14 win, sealing the 3-1 victory. In the final set of the match, Bluffton hammered away with 17 kills at a rate of .231, while holding the Mountaineers to eight kills and a hitting percentage of .080. 

Having a great day at the net and leading the Beavers with 14 kills was Paige Massie (Alvada) who recorded a game-high .417 kill percentage. Also contribuing at the net was Jenna Woods (DeGraff/Riverside) with 14 kills at a .184 rate to go along with 13 digs. Kasey Sager (Troy) added nine kills and a pair of solo blocks. A pair of Beavers would have game-highs, with Gabby Williams (West Liberty/West Liberty-Salem) tallying 36 assists, and Emma Organ (Lambertville, MI/St. Ursula Academy) scooping up 25 digs. 

Bluffton would come out hot in set one against Wooster, holding the Fighting Scots to 10 points as they rolled to a 25-10 win while recording 17 kills with a .371 kill percentage. The Beavers would start the second set with a 14-2 run, ultimately winning the set 25-7. The dominant performance from Bluffton included smacking 10 kills at a .444 rate, while holding Wooster to only two kills and a hitting percentage of -.304. In set three, Wooster showed some life, but the Beavers would still come out on top with a 25-21 win in the set for the 3-0 sweep over the Fighting Scots. 

Leading the Beavers on the attack was Jenna Woods, who smacked home a match-high 17 kills with an impressive .406 kill percentage. Gabby Williams would be all over the court, dishing out a game-high 28 assists, while scooping up a game-high 10 digs and rifling three service aces. Right behind her with eight digs was Emma Organ who fired four aces in the contest. 

Bluffton will look to carry momentum from these two wins into their next contest when the Beavers hit the road to go up against the HCAC-leading Earlham College Quakers on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.

-BEAVERS-