STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University volleyball team won its tenth consecutive match as it defeated Franciscan University in straight sets on Kuzma Court.

BW (10-1), who is off to its best start since the 2011 season when the Yellow Jackets went 8-0 to start the season, defeated Franciscan (3-6) for the second time in four days by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 26-24.   The Yellow Jackets, who beat the Barons last Friday in the Marcia French Memorial Invitational, have not gone past a third set in any of their first 11 matches.

Freshman outside hitter Alicia Lortcher (Norwalk) led the offensive attack with a match-high tying 12 kills.  Lortcher, who leads the team and the Ohio Athletic Conference in kills with 132, has led the offensive attack in five matches.  Freshman outside hitter Morgan Thomas (Northfield/Nordonia) recorded 10 kills and now has 135 on the season to rank second in the OAC.

Freshman setter Ashley Nuding (Perrysburg/Springfield) set up the offense with 33 assists and now has an OAC leading 364.  Nuding also added seven digs and one block assist on the defensive side of the ball.

Freshman libero Brittany Miner (Canton/Massillon Perry) anchored the defense with 24 digs and now has an OAC leading 294.  Miner has led the team in digs in all but one match this season.  Lortcher contributed 10 digs and now ranks 10th in the OAC with 123.

BW is back in action this Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19 when they travel to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania to compete in the Hampton Inn Crusader Classic hosted by Susquehanna University.   The Yellow Jackets open the classic with matches against Washington (Md.) College and Susquehanna on Friday at 7 and 9 pm, respectively.   BW closes out the classic with matches against Misericordia (Pa.) University and York (Pa.) College on Saturday at 11 am and 3 pm, respectively.