Conference Rival Muskingum, 3-1, in Berea Tonight
BEREA, OHIO - The Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team defeated Ohio Athletic Conference rival Muskingum College, 3-1, tonight at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium in Berea. The scores of the match were 30-23, 30-27, 24-30 and 30-26. It was the OAC opener for both teams.
With its victory, B-W is now 8-9 overall and 1-0 in the OAC. With its loss, Muskingum falls to 11-8 overall.
"We are pleased with the victory and it is a good start to the OAC season," said Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Vicki Brault, now 243-158 in her 13-year coaching career, including a 173-108 mark at B-W. "Our conference is very tough, so anytime you can geet a win it is a good thing. Now, we must begin to focus on Saturday's match."
This Saturday, B-W returns to the court to play defending OAC regular season champion and 12th-ranked Ohio Northern University at the Ursprung Gymnasium at 1:00 p.m. The match will also be a part of the 2003 Homecoming festivities at B-W.
The ONU match will mark the ninth time in 18 matches that B-W will have played a Top 25 team this fall. B-W and ONU met earlier this season in the season opener for each school at the College of Mt. St. Joseph Tournament in Cincinnati. ONU prevailed, 3-1.
"Ohio Northern is a very good team with experience, strength and depth," said Brault. "It will another great test for our women. We look forward to the challenge of playing another Top 25 team." In the 2003 OAC preseason Coaches poll, ONU was picked to finish first and B-W was tabbed second.
In tonight's victory against Muskingum, senior three-time All-OAC and two-time All-Great Lakes Region middle hitter Cassie Palmer (Greenwich/ South Central) led the front row with 27 kills and four blocks. In addition, senior two-time All-OAC player Emily Bowen (Tiffin Clumbian) had 20 kills. Bowen added 15 defensive digs. Palmer and Bowen also each had three service aces. Palmer's 27 kills now give her 1,566 in her career and leave her 14 shy of Regan Pore's (1997-200) school-record of 1,580.
In the middle as the setter, senior Angie Elser (Wooster/ Northwestern) had 53 set assists and added 13 digs.
In the back row, freshman Kim Stoll (Norwalk/ St. Paul) led the way with 23 digs and was followed by junior Kari Kuhn (Amherst Steele) with 17, Bowen with 15 and both senior Kerry Helm (Luckey/ Eastwood) with 13 each.
Following its match this Saturday against ONU, B-W will travel to Alliance to face upstart Mount Union College next Tuesday, October 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Timken Building. Then on the weekend of October 10-11, the Yellow Jackets travel to Springfield and Wittenberg University to participate in the National Invitational Tournament. At that event, B-W will again be tested by the Top 25 as it faces seventh-ranked Wittenberg, eighth-ranked Elmhurst (Ill.) College and ninth-ranked Mt. St. Joseph.
By the time B-W finishes at Wittenberg, it will have played eight teams ranked in the Top 10 and 12 in the Top 25 in a minimum of 22 matches. Now that's facing great competition.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact the B-W Sports Information Office and Director Kevin Ruple by phone, please call 440-826-2327 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Vicki Brault, please call her at 440-826-3254, FAX her at 440-826-2192 or e-mail her at vbrault@bw.edu. All of the latest Yellow Jacket volleyball information can be accessed by logging onto the Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics and then going to the volleyball pages.
275 Eastland Rd.