BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College volleyball team, 1-5 overall, got into the 2009 win column by splitting a pair of matches on the final day (Sunday, September 6) of the Kalamazoo College Hornet Invitational. The Yellow Jackets fell by a score of 3-2 to North Park (Ill.) in their opener but were able to rebound to defeat Manchester (Ind.), 3-2, in their final match of the weekend.

B-W held a 2-1 lead over North Park, but eventually fell 14-25, 25-16, 25-19, 22-25 and 8-15.

Sophomore Chelsea Nissen (Williston/ Genoa) led the Jackets with nine kills and junior Casey Passen (Ashville/ Teays Valley) totaled 24 assists and 12 digs. Freshman Becky Palivoda (Burton/ Cornerstone Christian Academy) finished with six kills, five block solos and three block assists and freshman Natalie Emmons (Ashland/ Senior) recorded a team-best 23 digs.  

The Yellow Jackets defeated Manchester by scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-12.

Junior Abbey Thompson (Lorain/ Clearview) led the way with 10 kills and was followed by Palivoda and Nissen with eight and seven kills, respectively. Thompson also had two block solos to bring her total on the day to five. Passen led again with 32 assists and totaled a team-high 18 digs. Emmons finished with 15 digs and junior Rebecca Pittenger (Alliance/ Senior) and freshman Alex Gbur (Toledo/ Central Catholic) each totaled 13.

B-W returns to action next Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12 at the College of Wooster Invitational in Wooster, Ohio. The Jackets play Westminster (Pa.) at 4:00 p.m. and Wooster at 8:00 p.m. on Friday.

FOR MORE SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail atkruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter athttp://twitter.com/bwathletics