Volleyball

BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team lost an Ohio Athletic Conference match tonight to rival and sixth-ranked Ohio Northern University, 3-0, at the ONU Sports Center in Ada.

With its loss, B-W fell to 17-9 overall and 5-2 in the OAC. With its win, ONU is now 21-3 overall and 7-0 in the OAC.

Offensively, senior two-time All-OAC middle hitter Laura Leach (Norwalk) led the way with 12 kills. In addition, Kelsey Hills (Toledo/ St. Ursula Academy) led the team with a hitting percentage of .400 and added 10 kills. Freshman setter Nicole Igarashi (Willowick. Eastlake North) set up the offense and recorded 30 set assists.

Defensively, sophomore libero Kim Stoll (Norwalk) had 21 digs, Emily Albanese (Norwalk) was second on the team with 16 digs and senior defensive specialist Kari Kuhn (Amherst/ Marion Steele) added 14 digs.

The Yellow Jacket spikers will be back in action this Saturday, October 23 when they host OAC rival Muskingum College in a key OAC match in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium at 1:00 p.m. B-W also ends the 2004 OAC regular season next Tuesday, October 26 when it hosts rival Heidelberg College at Ursprung at 7:00 p.m. in a Seniors' Night match.

After 26 matches, Leach tops all hitters in the OAC with 456 kills and has also contributed 68 blocks and is hitting .346 overall. Igarashi, one of the top setters in the OAC, tops the squad with 1007 assists and has also contributed 324 digs. Stoll, who is currently on pace to break her own school single-season record for digs, tops the team with 635.

The 2004 OAC Tournament begins on Tuesday, November 2 and the OAC Final Four is set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5-6.

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.