Volleyball

BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team lost an Ohio Athletic Conference match tonight to Ohio Athletic Conference and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University, 3-1, at the Don Shula Sports Center in University Heights. The loss is B-W's first in the OAC this year and it denied veteran Yellow Jacket Head Coach Vicki Brault her 200th win at the College.

With its loss, B-W fell to 16-8 overall and 4-1 in the OAC. With its win, JCU is now 13-10 overall and 2-3 in the OAC.

Brault, who is 199-123 in 10 years at B-W and 269-173 overall in her 14-year career, will now have to settle for hopefully winning her 200th game at B-W when her Yellow Jackets host Marietta College this Saturday at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea at 1:00 p.m.

Offensively, senior two-time All-OAC middle hitter Laura Leach (Norwalk) led the way with 29 kills. She also had four total blocks to tie junior Emily Albanese (Mentor) for the team lead. Albanese also contributed 15 kills, a team-leading 33 defensive digs, six set assists and two service aces. In addition, freshman Kelsey Hills (Toledo/ St. Ursula Academy) had 11 kills and three blocks. Freshman setter Nicole Igarashi (Willowick. Eastlake North) set up the offense and recorded 50 set assists.

Defensively and in addition to Albanese, sophomore libero Kim Stoll (Norwalk) had 29 digs, Igarashi had 25 and senior defensive specialist Kari Kuhn (Amherst/ Marion Steele) had 19.

Following its match with Marietta this Saturday (Oct. 16), the Yellow Jackets will then play on Tuesday, October 19 when they travel to OAC leader Ohio Northern (5-0 in the OAC) for a match at the ONU Sports Center at 7:00 p.m.

In addition this Saturday, between games two and three of its match with OAC rival Marietta College, B-W will honor 2003 AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) All-American Cassie Palmer. Palmer set B-W career records for hitting percentage, kills and blocks and was four times All-OAC, three times All-Great Lakes Region and was the OAC "Rookie of the Year" in 2000.

FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact the B-W Sports Information Office by telephone at (440) 826-2327, by FAX at (440) 826-2329 or e-mail SID Kevin Ruple at kruple@bw.edu. To reach Head Volleyball Coach Vicki Brault, please call her at (440) 826-3254, FAX her at (440) 826-2192 or e-mail her at vbrault@bw.edu.