BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University volleyball team finished second at the 18th Annual Marcia French Memorial Invitational co-hosted by BW and Case Western Reserve University. Case Western was the team champion.
Senior middle hitter Nikolette Scruggs (Barberton) was selected to the all-tournament team for the Yellow Jackets.
BW (8-1) opened the invitational with a three set victory against Defiance College by scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 28-26. The Yellow Jackets defeated Bethany (W. Va.) College in four sets by scores of 26-28, 25-14, 25-20 and 25-18 to close out the first day of action. On day two, BW knocked off Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y) in straight sets by scores of 25-11, 25-20 and 26-24. The Yellow Jackets ended the invitational with a three set loss to nationally-ranked Berry (Ga.) College by scores of 15-25, 24-26 and 23-25.
Against Defiance, sophomore All-Ohio Athletic Conference outside hitter Alicia Lortcher (Norwalk) led the offense with a match-high and a season-high tying 18 kills. Scruggs added a season-best nine kills. Freshman setter Shannon Ott (Milan/Edison) had 30 assists while sophomore setter Ashley Nuding (Perrysburg/Springfield) had 14. Defensively, senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC libero Arlayna Newcomer (Norwalk/St. Paul) and Lortcher tallied a match-high tying 16 digs apiece while Nuding added 10.
In the match with Bethany, junior outside hitter Ellen Hawkins (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) anchored the offense with a match-best and career-high tying 18 kills. Lortcher added 15 kills and Scruggs tallied 11. Ott ran the offense with a career-high 43 assists. Newcomer led the defense with 20 digs while junior defensive specialist Emily Daveant (North Ridgeville) added 10.
Against RIT, Hawkins led the offensive attack with 11 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Jordan Diels (Paris/Minerva) had a season-high eight kills while Scruggs and freshman outside hitter Anna Anikienko (LaGrange/Keystone) added six and four, respectively. Ott set up the attack with 23 assists. On the defensive side, Newcomer tallied 10 digs and Diels had a career-high tying four blocks.
In the match with Berry, Hawkins led the offense with nine kills. Scruggs added seven while Anikienko and freshman outside hitter Allyson Smith (Macedonia/Walsh Jesuit) each contributed six kills. Ott ran the offense with 26 assists. Nuding anchored the defense with 13 digs while Newcomer added 12.
BW continues its homestand on Monday, September 12 as they host a non-conference match against Franciscan University at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets return to tournament action on Friday and Saturday, September 16-17 when they travel to Rochester, New York to compete in the St. John Fisher Tournament.
