ADA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's volleyball team was on the road to face #14 Ohio Northern University in a big OAC matchup inside ONU Sports Center. The Yellow Jackets dropped in a hard-fought five-set match to the Polar Bears by set scores of 28-26, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, and 11-15.
BW (15-5, 1-2 OAC) earned the huge set one win in extra points, grabbing the victory by a 28-26 score. Dropping set two and three by scores of 25-19 and 25-21, BW trailed to ONU (15-1, 4-0 OAC) in the match 2-1. ONU grabbed the early 4-0 advantage over the Yellow Jackets to force a BW timeout to start the fourth set. The Yellow Jackets then went on a 4-1 run to tie the set 5-5.
With the Yellow Jackets down by three (21-18) late in the fourth, senior First Team All-OAC performer and Academic All-OAC outside hitter Ivy Earl (Howell, Mich.) rattled off four straight kills to force the Polar Bears to take a timeout and grab BW the 22-21 advantage. Closing the set 25-23, the Yellow Jackets made their way to the tie-breaking fifth set.
BW started the fifth set down 3-0 before coming back to tie it at 3-3 and again at 6-6 and 7-7. Going point for point with ONU, the Polar Bears were able to outlast the Yellow Jackets and take the set 15-11 to win the match.
The Yellow Jackets were led by Earl who tallied her 1,000th career kill in tonight's performance. Earl posted a double-double, totaling 21 kills and a career-high 26 digs.
Senior All-OAC performer and Academic All-OAC outside hitter Cecelia Hamisch (Union/Northmont) also notched double-digit kills, posting a career-high 19. Freshman libero Lauren Gardner (Cleveland/Saint Joseph) tallied 34 digs while senior Academic All-OAC defensive specialist Morgan Martin (Seven Hills/Trinity) added 20 for BW.
Junior Academic All-OAC middle hitter Isa Luciano (Willoughby/South) finished the match with 12 kills and seven digs while freshman setter Lauren Reid (Canonsburg, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) notched a double-double with 49 assists and 13 digs. Senior defensive specialist Angela Dunn (Fairview Park/Fairview) tallied 10 digs for BW.
The Yellow Jackets return to play this Saturday, October 9 as BW travels to New Concord, Ohio for the Muskingum Invitational. BW will face #12 Juniata College (Pa.) at 12:00 p.m. and Wittenberg University at 2:00 p.m. on Performance Court in the Anne C. Steele Center.
