13th-Ranked Baldwin-Wallace College Defeats Capital
BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team, ranked 13th in the country in NCAA Division III, defeated Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital University, 3-0, tonight at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea. The scores of the match were 30-12, 30-20 and 30-21.
Highlighting the Seniors' Night match for B-W was senior defensive specialist Kate Kost (Fairview Park) as she recorded 34 defensive digs and became just the second player in OAC history to surpass 2,000 digs in a career. Kost now has 2,023 digs and is 24 shy of breaking the all-time OAC mark of 2,046 set by Otterbein's Mandy Simmerman (1998-2001).
With its victory, B-W improved to 25-4 overall and 7-1 in the OAC. Capital fell to 27-8 overall and
6-2 in the OAC with its loss. In the most recent NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region rankings, B-W was third and Capital seventh.
B-W began this key match "HOT". The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 15-0 lead and cruised to victory. In both the second and third games, B-W again jumped out to big leads but Capital fought back to make it close before the Yellow Jackets ended each game with a flury.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets were led by junior All-OAC rightside player Emily Bowen (Tiffin Columbian) with 15 kills and both sophomore middle hitter Laura Leach (Norwalk) and senior All-OAC outside hitter Sarah Gordon (Wooster) had 10 kills each. Setting up the offense was All-OAC setter Kerry Helm (Luckey/ Eastwood) with 39 set assists.
Joining Kost in the defensive charge in terms of digs were Gordon with 14 digs, Helm with 11 and Bowen with 10. Leach and senior Lauren Harris (New Philadelphia) led the team with four blocks each.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Friday when they travel to Marietta for their final OAC regular season game at 7:00 p.m. and then will play at NAIA power and #11-ranked Walsh University on Saturday in a tri-match that includes Division II Cornerstone (Mich.) College. The Walsh match is at 3:00 p.m. and the Cornerstone match is at 5:00 p.m.
Baldwin-Wallace College To Honor Senior Volleyball Players
BEREA, OHIO -- On Tuesday night, when the Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team hosts Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital University in a key OAC game at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea, the College will honor senior standouts Kate Kost (Fairview Park High School), Sarah Gordon (Wooster Senior High School) and Lauren Harris (New Philadelphia High School) for their outstanding contributions to the program.
The Yellow Jackets enter the match with a 24-4 overall and 6-1 OAC record and are ranked 13th nationally in NCAA Division III. It is the highest that the B-W program has ever been ranked, and is two spots better than last week's #15 ranking by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Capital comes into the match with an outstanding 27-7 overall record and is also 6-1 in the OAC. For all intents and purposes, this game will be for second place and the number two seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament (next week).
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All three graduating seniors have helped to make the B-W volleyball program one of the best in the Ohio Athletic Conference, NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region and in the nation. During her four years on the Yellow Jacket varsity, Kate Kost has been a part of 100 victories, B-W's first-ever OAC Tournament title, its first-ever OAC regular season co-title, a berth in the 2000 NCAA National Tournament and its highest national ranking in school history.