UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University volleyball team won an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal match in three sets against cross-town rival John Carroll University in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

BW (24-5) advances to the OAC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2011 and will face top-seeded, OAC regular season champion and 23rd-nationally ranked Ohio Northern University on Thursday, November 3 in the ONU Sports Center at 7 p.m.   John Carroll (17-11) ends its season and snaps a two-year streak of advancing to the semifinals.

The Yellow Jackets, who avenged a 2014 tournament quarterfinal loss to the Blue Streaks, defeated John Carroll by scores of 25-19, 27-25 and 25-23.

Sophomore All-OAC outside hitter Alicia Lortcher (Norwalk) led the offensive attack with a match-high 16 kills and a match-best three service aces.  Junior outside hitter Ellen Hawkins (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) tallied 10 kills while senior All-OAC middle hitter Nikolette Scruggs (Barberton) added nine kills.

Freshman setter Shannon Ott (Milan/Edison) ran the offense with a match-high 42 assists.

Sophomore libero Ashley Nuding (Perrysburg/Springfield) anchored the defense with a 17 digs.  Lortcher contributed 15 digs and three blocks. Senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC defensive specialist Arlayna Newcomer (Norwalk/St. Paul) finished with nine digs.  Scruggs tallied a match-best tying four blocks and added three digs.

The winner of the two semifinal matches on Thursday advance to the OAC Championship on Saturday, November 5 on the campus of the highest remaining seed at 2 p.m.