By Meghan Mohr, sports information assistant

Stats

In a hard fought battle on Wednesday, Sept. 13, the Thomas More Saints defeated the Bluffton University Beavers in their home opener in five sets, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 28-30, 15-7. The Beavers now stand 6-3 overall, while the Saints improved to 4-5.

The Beaver offense was led by outside hitters Nicole Wood (Tiffin/Hopewell-Loudon) and Jenna Eshleman (Landisville, Penn./Hempfield) who had 18 and 12 kills, respectively. Senior Courtney Zimmerman (Leesburg/Fairfield) was a force at the net with six kills while junior Heather Schierer (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) chipped in with seven spikes.

Kyleigh Whitsel (Sheffield Lake/Brookside) and Morgan Fullenkamp (Botkins) directed the Beaver offense by dishing out 21 assists apiece. The Beavers also kept the Saints on their heels with Woods' four service aces, as well as two aces from Fullenkamp.

Defensively, Bluffton was led by Eshleman with 16 digs, Schierer with 13 digs, and nine apiece for Wood, Whitsel and senior Meghan Dodson (Tiffin/Calvert). Zimmerman also had six block assists in the effort. Eshleman racked up her sixth double-double of the season against the Saints.

The Beavers' next competition is scheduled for, Friday, Sept. 16, against Alma at Wittenberg's Great Lakes Regional Challenge. The contest with Alma is slated for 6 p.m.