The Bluffton University volleyball team stayed undefeated with a pair of sweeps over visiting Anderson University on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Anderson dropped its first two matches of the season, while Bluffton improved to 9-0 (2-0 HCAC) on the year.
Bluffton dominated the first two sets of the opener, 25-18 and 25-13, before having to go to overtime (29-27) to cash in during the conference matchup. Remi Bower (Deshler/Patrick Henry) needed 20 kills for 1,000 career putaways heading into the night and she piled up 12 in match one. She also fired a career-high seven aces, giving her a team-best 20 points in the victory. Sophomore Kaylie Campbell (Camden/Preble Shawnee) was on fire as well, smacking nine winners against just one error for a blistering .533 hitting percentage. Freshman Alysha Like (McComb) added seven spikes.
Sophomore Elle Price (Findlay) dished out 29 assists and she notched a double-double with 10 digs. Bower almost went for a triple-double, picking up 11 digs to go along with her 12 kills and seven aces. Campbell was a force at the net, stuffing AU with six blocks, while Brooke Kleman (Glandorf/Ottawa-Glandorf) led the victors with 12 digs.
Bluffton made some lineup maneuvers for match number two and the Beavers came out firing as Kia Rainey (Adrian, MI/Madison) ripped off six straight points, including three aces, for a 7-0 start! Bower was the story, however, as she closed out the second set with a pair of winners, eclipsing 1,000 kills in the process!
Cassidy Posey (Paulding) led the home team with 11 kills, while Bower and Jessica Lovell (Grove City) went for 10 and nine, respectively. Noel Ufferman (Marysville/Fairbanks) finished with eight winners to go along with her match-high 20 assists. She also tallied a pair of blocks in the second match. Lindsey Shaw (Findlay/Van Buren) also notched a double-double with 12 pickups and 11 helpers. Rainey torched the Ravens with five service aces. Senior Becky Siemer (Liberty Center/Lakota East) tallied two kills, two aces and four digs for the Beavers.
The 9-0 start to the season equaled Coach Yarnell's 2010 squad for the second-best start in Bluffton volleyball history. Bluffton's 10-0 kickoff to 1987 stands as the final hurdle for this year's team!
Bluffton will leave the friendly confines of the Sommer Center on Saturday, when the Beavers travel to Heartland Conference favorite Transylvania. The first match from Lexington, Ky., is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30.
