BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's volleyball team faced Hiram College in the 2023 season and home opener for the Yellow Jackets in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center. BW (1-0) defeated the Terriers (0-2) in straight sets by 25-17, 25-17, and 25-12 final scores.

BW was led by sophomore All-Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League outside hitter Michael Beard (Hilliard/Darby) as he tallied a match-high nine kills on no errors, hitting .562, and added six digs and two service aces. Freshman middle hitter Josh Steinitz (Towson, Md./Friends School of Baltimore) totaled six kills with one error on six swings. Sophomore right side hitter Carson Junker (Massillon/Jackson) posted nine kills while junior middle hitter Chris Moehl (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino) added fix blocks. Junior setter Brandon Long (Hinckley/Metea Valley) finished with 28 assists. 

1st Set 

• BW earned the big 9-3 lead to start set one after a service ace from Junker, forcing Hiram to an early timeout.
• The Terriers slowly battled back to bring the score with three points (13-10) before the Yellow Jackets went on a 8-3 run. Back-to-back kills by Beard earned BW the 21-13 advantage.
• The Yellow Jackets claimed set one 25-17, totaling 14 kills and hitting .385 as a team.

2nd Set

• A lot of back-and-forth action between the two teams until a huge kill by Long on a Hiram overpass put the Yellow Jackets up 17-15, forcing a Hiram timeout.
• BW went on a small 3-1 run to earn the four-point advantage pushing the Terriers to their second and final timeout of the set.
• Out of the break, three straight kills (two from Beard and one from Junker) earned BW the seven-point lead. Yellow Jackets won set two 25-17. 

3rd Set

• BW got the 5-1 lead after two aces by Beard and a kill from sophomore outside hitter Michael Devlin (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley). Hiram took its first timeout.
• The Yellow Jackets never looked back as they extended their lead to 17-7.
• BW outscored the Terriers 8-5, closing the set (25-12) and match (3-0), to claim the first win of the 2023 season.

The Yellow Jackets return to play on January 21 and 22 as they host the 2023 BW Invitational. On Saturday, the 21st, BW will take on Marian (Wis.) University at 12:00 p.m. and Hilbert (N.Y.) College at 5:00 p.m. in the Ursprung Gymnasium.