The Bluffton University volleyball team fell to Indiana University-East in four sets (25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22) on a hot Tuesday, Sept. 4. A .130 hitting percentage and 10 service errors were too much to overcome on a night when the Beavers (1-3) kicked off their home slate in the Sommer Center.

With the match knotted at one set apiece, the Red Wolves took control in the third thanks to an 11-3 spurt that featured five serves apiece from Danielle Mitchell and Samantha Wigfield as IU-East took a 13-6 lead and cruised in for a 25-20 victory. The home team was on the verge of knotting it up, ahead 20-18 in the fourth, before IU-East capped the match with a 7-2 jag.

Sophomore Remi Bower (Hamler/Patrick Henry) led the way with 14 kills for a .229 hitting percentage. Also in double figures was senior Bethany Martini (Pickerington/North) with 10 putdowns. Ringleader Erin Weisgarber (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) just missed out on a triple double with 35 assists, 13 digs and nine kills. She was spot on with a .444 hitting percentage.

Freshman Brooke Kleman (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) paced the back row with 19 digs, while senior Abby Rohrbach (New Knoxville) finished with 17 pickups. Kleman fired a match-high four aces and senior Jessie Gibson (Warsaw/River View) was in on three blocks.

The Beavers return to action in three days when they welcome a star-studded field for the Sommer Center Spiketacular on Friday, Sept. 7. Bluffton tips off at 5 p.m. against Thomas More.