By: Colton Steiner

FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Bluffton Beaver volleyball team kicked off Heartland Conference play on the road, crossing the Ohio-Indiana border to face off against the Franklin College Grizzlies on a hot Saturday, Oct. 4. Franklin won in straight sets despite having to go to 26-24 in the clincher. With the loss, the Beavers fell to 10-12 overall and 0-1 in the HCAC. Franklin improved to 11-9 with a 1-0 conference record. 

The first set would be all Franklin, with the home team cruising to a 25-11 victory to go up 1-0. After hitting .529 in the first set and holding Bluffton to a -.067 mark, the Grizzlies took set two 25-22 to go up 2-0. Despite losing the second set, the Beavers showed signs of life and would fight to the end in the third set, but were unable to force a fourth, losing 26-24. Franklin was efficient in the win, hitting .215 for the game to Bluffton's .061 kill rate. With a 36-24 disparity in total kills, the visitors struggled to get the ball down, recording 17 total attacking errors as a team. 

Leading the Beavers with nine kills was Jenna Woods (DeGraff/Riverside), who hit .259 for the game. Bekah Pack (Lexington) and Madison Brentlinger (Indian Lake) tallied five kills apiece. Gabby Williams (West Liberty/West Liberty-Salem) dished out a team-high 19 assists for the Beavers, while also firing a pair of aces. Recording 12 digs was Emma Organ (Lambertville, MI/St. Ursula Academy) who also got it down at the service line with four aces on Saturday. 

Bluffton will look to bounce back as they get ready to host Wittenberg on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. on Copeland Court. Come out and support your Beavers! 

-BEAVERS-