Volleyball eclipses program record for wins
Led by ninth-year head coach Jason Miller the Heidelberg College volleyball team eclipsed the school record for victories in a season following a 3-1 showing at the Midwest Challenge co-hosted by Hope College and Calvin Colley Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Heidelberg boasts an overall record of 28-6, which tops the record of 27 wins set by both the 1986 and 2007 teams.
The Berg opened action in the challenge on Friday with a sweep of Manchester College (25-22, 25-15, 25-14) followed by a hard-fought 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10) win over No. 20 Hope. In day two of action the Berg topped the previous record for wins in a season with a convincing sweep (25-22, 25-19, 25-12) of Hanover College. Its only setback on the weekend was a four-set loss to No. 14 Calvin (25-22, 23-25, 15-25, 18-25).
Against Manchester, Emily Hurlburt (St. Mary’s, Ohio / Memorial) led the Berg offense with 12 kills followed by eight from Venessa Haase (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg). Morgan Magers (Green Springs, Ohio / Old Fort) dished out 34 assists, while adding 11 digs, for a double-double. Joining Magers with a strong defensive outing was Birttany Donelan (North Olmsted, Ohio / North Olmsted) with a team-high 18 digs and Jackie Reinhart (New Riegel, Ohio / New Reigel) with 13. Providing a figure at the net was Hurlburt with seven blocks, including three solo.
Stepping up to the challenge of nationally ranked Hope was the trio of Audra Vucic (Lancaster, Ohio / Fisher Catholic), Reinhart and Hurlburt. The hitters combined for 44 of Heidelberg’s 57 kills in the match. Vucic put down 16 kills, while Reinhart and Hurlburt each had 14. Magers continued seeing double, finishing with 46 assists and 20 digs. Donelan led the back row with 28 digs followed by Haase (20), Reinhart’s 16, to mark a double-double, and Suzy Street (Grafton, Ohio / Midview) (12). At the net Hurlburt had seven block assists, while Amanda Atchison (Frankfort, Ohio / Frankfort Adena) had six block assists and one solo block.
In the record-setting match, Haase picked up 10 kills followed by Hurlburt with eight. Magers set up 19 kills, while Donelan led the defense with nine digs. Not to be outdone Donelan also added three service aces, while Natalie Beck (Monroeville, Ohio / Monroeville) finished with two aces. Heidelberg continued with its strong stance at the net, getting three blocks from Atchison and Vucic.
Despite the setback to Calvin, Hurlburt picked up 16 kills, while Reinhart and Haase followed with 13 and 10, respectively. Magers dished out 48 assists and added five digs. Tallying 16 digs was Donelan and Haase sealed a double-double with 11 digs.
The Midwest Challenge concluded Heidelberg’s 2008 regular season slate. Next on the docket for the Berg is the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. The Berg finished at 8-1 on the year in conference action to take home runner-up honors and the number two seed in the tournament. The eight-team tournament opens up with four quarterfinal matches at the highest seed. The Berg will host number seven seeded Baldwin-Wallace College on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7:00 p.m. in Seiberling Gymnasium. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The Berg will be vying for its second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships.