HANOVER, Ind. – The Baldwin Wallace University volleyball team won its eighth straight match as it posted four victories at the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Crossover hosted by Hanover College.
BW (18-1), who won three of its four matches in straight sets, opened the tournament with a three-set victory against Transylvania (Ky.) University by scores of 25-19, 25-14 and 25-23. The Yellow Jackets closed the first day of action with another straight set victory against Bluffton University by scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-1. BW opened the final day of competition against host Hanover by scores of 16-25, 25-23, 25-11 and 25-22. The Yellow Jackets closed out its final regular season tournament by knocking off Mount St. Joseph University in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-17.
Senior All-OAC middle hitter Nikolette Scruggs (Barberton) was named to the all-tournament team.
Against Transylvania, sophomore All-OAC outside hitter Alicia Lortcher (Norwalk) led the way with a match-high 15 kills and added 10 digs. Junior outside hitter Ellen Hawkins (Worthington/Thomas Worthington), who is this week's OAC Player of the Week) tallied 10 kills and had a .409 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Shannon Ott (Milan/Edison) set up the offense with match-best 36 assists and contributed one kill and four digs. Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC libero Arlayna Newcomer (Norwalk/St. Paul) anchored the defense with a match-high 19 digs.
In the match with Bluffton, Lortcher once again led the way with a match-best 13 kills and tallied 14 digs. Hawkins and Scruggs each added 11 kills and one block. Ott ran the offense with a career-high and match-best 44 assists with a career-high tying eight digs. Newcomer sparked the defense with a match-best 19 digs.
Against Hanover, Lortcher had a match-high 16 kills and added 16 digs to spark the attack. Scruggs added 14 kills and match-best tying four blocks. Ott set up the offense with a match-high 35 assists and recorded career-best tying eight digs. Newcomer led the defense with a team-best 20 kills while junior defensive specialist Emily Daveant (North Ridgeville) contributed 14 digs.
In the match with Mount St. Joseph, Scruggs led the attack with a match-high 13 kills. Lortcher added 10 kills and a match-best tying 13 digs. Ott ran the offense with match-high 35 assists. Newcomer also tallied a match-best tying 13 digs.
BW is back in action on Saturday, October 1 when it opens OAC action against Marietta College in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center at 1 p.m.
