On Sept. 8, The Baldwin Wallace Women’s volleyball team took a trip to Berea, Kentucky to face off in the Mountaineer Classic. The Quad-Match included the Berea Mountaineers, Franklin Grizzles and the Centre Colonels.
The Berea Mountaineers were The Yellow Jackets’ first opponent at the Mountaineer Classic.
The Yellow Jackets started the first set with a service ace by senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference setter Oliva Zawadski, and they continued to put pressure on the Mountaineers starting the set 5-0. The Mountaineers slowly battled back as they tied the game at 22, but the Yellow Jackets put them to a halt and finished the first set 25-22.
The Berea Mountaineers started the second set with a service error, giving BW continuous momentum from the first set. But the Mountaineers came to play and went on a 4-point run, leaving the game 1-4.
Senior Nicole Logan came off the bench and cranked down two kills, and BW attained another kill by setter Katrina Blazetic to tie up the game 7-7. The game remained neck and neck until BW had three straight attack errors, giving The Mountaineers a lead 10-14. Both teams continued to go on runs, but The Mountaineers pulled out a victory in the second set 25-22.
After a dominating 18-11 start by The Mountaineers in the third set, BW slowly crawled back into the match after nailing five service aces in the late game to take a 25-24 lead. Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Schlecht capitalized on the momentum and secured another ace to take set three 28-26.
The Yellow Jackets started strong in the fourth set and took an overpowering 19-7 lead. BW kept the pressure on The Mountaineers thanks to three kills by first-year outside hitter Alexis Smith. The Mountaineers made an offensive error leading BW to win the set 25-13 and the match 3-1.
The Game leaders for Baldwin Wallace were first-year Alexis Smith, who recorded ten kills within the four sets, junior Lauren Gardner with 19 digs and senior Olivia Zawadzki with a staggering six service aces.
Even though BW won the match, The Mountaineers had a higher hitting percentage with 0.237, compared to BW who had 0.176. BW won due to their domination on the service line with 16 total aces compared to Berea’s four and their effort in limiting errors.
The Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets finished out the Mountaineer Classic 2-1. BW defeated the Berea Mountaineers and the Franklin Grizzles but lost to the Centre Colonels in a four-set match.
BW’s women’s volleyball team will travel to Indiana to play against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Friday.
