TIFFIN, Ohio—The Heidelberg University volleyball team, currently ranked eighth by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, will host Bluffton College in a non-conference match Tuesday at Seiberling Gymnasium. The match is slated for 7 p.m.
The Berg enters the match 18-2 overall and riding a nine-match winning streak following four sweeps at Nazareth College’s Purple & Gold Invitational last weekend and has lost just one set during that stretch.
Heidelberg is led offensively by junior second-team All-OAC outside hitter Marian Bevington (Celina/Parkway), who leads the team with 142 kills and a .377 hitting percentage, and senior reigning OAC player of the year Jackie Reinhart (New Riegel) with 126 kills. Reinhart surpassed the 1,000-kill mark for her career in the Berg’s last home match against Capital.
Three more student-athletes have already recorded 100 kills for the season, including junior rightside hitter Jacki Street (Grafton/Midview), who was named the most valuable player at last weekend’s tournament.
Junior setter Rachel Ferguson (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) and sophomore setter Alexa Frank (Tiffin/Calvert) will guide the offense, having tallied a team-high 297 assists and 214 assists, respectively.
Defensively, freshman libero Tessa Benanzer (Fort Loramie) handles most of the receptions, with a team-leading 204 digs. Reinhart backs Benanzer with 197 saves of her own. Bevington leads with 64 blocks, including 31 solo stops.
Bluffton comes to Tiffin sporting a 12-7 mark overall and is currently on a six-match winning streak. The Beavers are led by Jenna Eshleman and Nicole Wood, who have each notched 228 kills this season. Eshleman has also tallied 269 digs. Kyleigh Whitsel, with 468 assists, will direct the offense. Heather Schierer leads the defense with 358 digs, while Courtney Zimmerman has blocked a team-best 53 attacks.
Live stats for the match will be available at the following URL: http://www.heidelberg.edu/statcrew/vb/xlive.htm.
Following Tuesday’s contest, Heidelberg will play two matches Sunday, Oct. 9 in New Concord, Ohio. The Berg faces conference opponent Muskingum University at 12 p.m. and non-conference foe Case Western Reserve University at 2 p.m.