Host the OAC Final Four This Weekend in Berea
BEREA, OHIO -- The 24th-ranked and top-seeded Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team persevered and advanced and will host this weekend's Ohio Athletic Conference Final Four as it defeated eighth-seed Heidelberg College, 3-2, tonight at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium. The match was tough one for B-W.
The Yellow Jackets dropped the first two games of the match, 30-26 and 30-26, and then began their comeback. B-W won the third set, 30-13, and the fourth, 30-25, to force a fifth and deciding game. In the fifth game, B-W won and advanced with a 15-10 victory.
With its win, B-W improved to 17-15 overall and will play fifth-seeded Marietta College, a 3-2 winner against fourth-seed Mount Union College in Alliance, in the OAC semi finals on Friday in Berea at 7:00 p.m. The other semi final will pit second-seeded Ohio Northern University, a 3-2 einner against seventh-seed Muskingum College in Ada, against third-seeded Capital University, a 3-1 winner versus sixth-seeded Otterbein College in Bexley, at 5:00 p.m. The winner will receive an automatic berth in the 2003 NCAA Division III National Tournament. B-W, ONU and Capital all finished the regular season with 8-1 marks and tied for the regular season title. B-W earned the number one seed via a tie-breaker. With its loss, Heidelberg fell to 18-16 overall.
Leading the Yellow Jackets front line was senior All-OAC middle hitter Cassie Palmer (Greenwich/ South Central) with 22. Senior All-OAC outside hitter Emily Bowen (Tiffin Columbian) had 14 kills and 11 defensive digs. Leading the B-W offense was senior setter Angie Elser (Wooster/ Northwestern) who had 57 set assists and added seven digs. Freshman libero Kim Stoll (Norwalk St. Paul) had the most digs with 37. Also, junior defensive specialist Kari Kuhn (Amherst) had 16 digs.
For Heidelberg, sophomore middle hitter Christina Siegel (North Olmsted) had ateam-leading 21 kills and had three blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Hess (Kettering) had 14 kills. Sophomore setter Hannah Haidet (Canton) had the most assists with 49. Junior libero Sarah Witkowski (Solon) had the most digs with 18 and Haidet, Hess and Breena McCool (Tiffin) each had 15 digs.
FOR MORE BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION, please call B-W SID Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Vicki Brault, please call her at 440-826-3258, FAX her at 440-826-2192 or e-mail her at vbrault@bw.edu.
FOR MORE OAC TOURNAMENT INFORMATION, please contact OAC Media Relations Director Julie Work by phone at 330-963-0444, by FAX at 330-963-0459 or via e-mail at jwork@oac.org.
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