Defiance , Hanover Hosting Invitationals this Weekend
September 8, 2005
Defiance and Hanover will each be hosting an invitational this weekend. Defiance will be hosting all non-conference schools at the Sixth Annual Defiance Volleyball Invitational Tournament. Joining the Yellow Jackets will be Spring Arbor, Geneva, Goshen, Grace, Concordia, Siena Heights, Huntington, and Oakland City. Hanover will be hosting two conference-foes at the Hanover Invitational. Anderson and Franklin will join Spalding, Denison, DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan and Olivet at the event.
Defiance is at home following a 3-2 opening week. The Yellow Jackets finished in a tie for third place at the Mount Union Tournament last weekend. Defiance finished the weekend 3-1 and were led by all-tournament performer Julie Steineman (New Bremen, Ind./New Bremen). Steineman earned HCAC Player-of-the-Week honors for her efforts. The Yellow Jackets fell to host Mount Union in the championship round of the tournament and have lost two straight following a 3-1 loss to visiting Heidelberg on Tuesday. They will look to rebound at the Defiance Invitational, an event they finished with a 3-1 record at last season. Defiance will face Spring Arbor in the first match on Friday.
Hanover will be returning home this weekend following a successful showing at the Maryville College Tournament over Labor Day weekend. The Panthers went 3-1 to start the year and were paced by their outstanding sophomore class. Carley Meek ( Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli), last year’s HCAC Freshman of the Year, led the way with four kills and 3.07 digs per game. Classmate Danielle Hazelbaker ( Selma, Ind./Wapahani) added 3.07 kills and 3.2 digs per game. The young, but experienced, Panthers will look to build on their good start this weekend. Hanover will square off with Spalding in the first match on Friday.
Anderson will look to make its presence felt at the Hanover Invitational as well. The Ravens have started the year 4-1 including an impressive 3-1 run at the Kalamazoo Hornet Invitational last weekend. The Ravens finished third at the event after having won it in 2004. Leading the way was senior Lacey Heaton ( Terre Haute, Ind./North) who was named to the all-tournament team. Heaton is averaging 3.82 kills and 4.71 digs per game this season. Also producing for the Ravens is sophomore setter Nikki DeMik ( Schererville, Ind./Illiana Christian) who is averaging 12.35 assist per game. She currently ranks sixth in the nation among NCAA Division III athletes in that category. After the first week of action, Anderson is ranked second in digs (27.93), 22nd in kills (14.57), and 19th in assists (13.29) nationally.
Franklin also had an impressive showing at the Hornet Invitational last weekend. The Grizzlies finished in second place with a 3-1 record. They will look to continue their strong play at the Hanover Invitational. After one week of play, Franklin is the top blocking team in the nation. The Grizzlies rank first among all Division III schools in that category with 5.29 blocks per game as a team. Individually, sophomore Haley Bourke ( Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and freshman Jordan Robertson ( Greencastle, Ind./Greencastle) are tied for seventh in the country each averaging two blocks per game. Robertson also boasts a .426 hitting percentage (23 rd in the country) and is averaging 1.94 kills per game. Sophomore Megan Gohlke ( St. Joseph, Mich./ St. Joseph) also had a strong weekend with 3.94 kills and 1.35 blocks per game. Gohlke and Robertson were both named to the Hornet Invitational all-tournament team.
Mount St. Joseph will face stiff competition for the second consecutive weekend. After visiting the Pacific Tournament last weekend and posting a solid 2-2 mark, the Lions will travel to top-ranked Washington University this weekend and face four ranked opponents. The Mount will play No. 10 Ohio Northern and No. 13 Central on Friday before meeting No. 4 Wittenberg and No. 1 Washington on Saturday. The Lions, ranked ninth by the AVCA in the preseason, will be looking to make a strong national statement. The Mount was led by senior Beth Fledderjohann (New Knoxville, Ohio/New Knoxville) who finished with a solid all-around weekend at Pacific. She averaged 3.15 kills and one block per game. The Lions are averaging 13.92 kills per game as a team, good for 28th in the country.
Bluffton enjoyed a winning week for first year coach Steve Yarnell. The Beavers placed fifth at the Oberlin Tournament last weekend with a 3-1 record. The Beavers dropped their home opener to No. 10 Ohio Northern on Tuesday, but will look to return to their winning ways when they travel to the Wooster Tournament this weekend. Bluffton is ranked 23rd in the country in service aces per game (3.64), 25th in digs (20.71), and 30th in kills per game (13.79). Leading the way during the first week of action has been sophomore outside hitter Kalla Aeschliman ( Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon). She is averaging 2.94 kills and 0.59 blocks per game. Bluffton will square off with Muskingum in the first game on Friday at Wooster.
Manchester and Transylvania will both be traveling to the Rose-Hulman Tournament this weekend.
Transylvania is coming off a 2-3 week and 2-2 effort at the Earlham Tournament over the weekend. The Pioneers topped Earlham and Taylor-Fort Wayne at the event. They will face Earlham again this weekend and are guaranteed a non-conference match with Manchester. Junior Ashley Koch ( Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) has played well for the Pioneers. Koch is ranked 26th in the nation in digs and is averaging six per game. Junior Stephanie Journeay ( Maineville, Ohio/Little Miami) also had an excellent start to the season. She is averaging 3.88 kills and 3.12 digs per game.
Manchester placed seventh at the Hornet Invitational last weekend and will enter the Rose-Hulman Tournament with a 1-4 overall record. The Spartans will meet their second conference-foe in non-conference action when they face Transylvania at the tournament. Manchester lost to Anderson, 3-0, at the Hornet Invitational last weekend. The Spartans will look to senior Anne Griffey ( Shelbyville, Ind./Shelbyville) to help them improve on their record. Griffey is leading the team with 2.47 kills and 0.88 blocks per game.
Sept. 8 – 14 Schedule
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Sept. 9 |
Spring Arbor at Defiance ( Defiance Invitational) |
2:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph vs. #13 Central (at Washington Invitational) |
3:00 PM |
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Anderson vs. Spalding (at Hanover Invitational) |
3:15 PM |
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Franklin vs. Denison (at Hanover Invitational) |
5:00 PM |
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Geneva at Defiance ( Defiance Invitational) |
5:00 PM |
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Manchester at Rose-Hulman (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
5:00 PM |
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Spalding at Hanover ( Hanover Invitational) |
5:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph vs. #10 Ohio Northern (at Washington Invite.) |
5:30 PM |
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Bluffton vs. Muskingum (at Wooster) |
6:00 PM |
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Manchester vs. Illinois College (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
6:30 PM |
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Transylvania vs. Earlham (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
6:30 PM |
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Anderson vs. Ohio Wesleyan (at Hanover Invitational) |
6:45 PM |
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Bluffton vs. Mount Vernon (at Wooster) |
8:00 PM |
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Transylvania at Rose-Hulman (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
8:00 PM |
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Franklin vs. Olivet (at Hanover Invitational) |
8:30 PM |
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Ohio Wesleyan at Hanover ( Hanover Invitational) |
8:30 PM |
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Sept. 10 |
Bluffton vs. Saint Mary’s (at Wooster) |
9:00 AM |
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Franklin vs. DePauw (at Hanover Invitational) |
9:15 AM |
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Anderson at Hanover ( Hanover Invitational) |
9:15 AM |
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Manchester vs. Earlham (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
9:30 AM |
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Manchester vs. Transylvania (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
11:00 AM |
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Bluffton vs. TBA (at Wooster) |
12:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph vs. #4 Wittenberg (at Washington Invitational) |
12:30 PM |
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Transylvania vs. Illinois College (at Rose-Hulman Invitational) |
12:30 PM |
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Bluffton vs. TBA (at Wooster) |
2:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at #1 Washington (at Washington Invitational) |
3:00 PM |
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Franklin vs. TBD (at Hanover Invitational) |
TBA |
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TBD at Hanover ( Hanover Invitational) |
TBA |
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Anderson vs. TBD (at Hanover Invitational) |
TBA |
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TBD vs. Defiance ( Defiance Invitational) |
TBA |
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TBD vs. Defiance ( Defiance Invitational) |
TBA |
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Sept. 13 |
Franklin at Thomas More |
6:00 PM |
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Rose-Hulman at Anderson |
7:00 PM |
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Ohio Wesleyan at Bluffton |
7:00 PM |
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#10 Ohio Northern at Defiance |
7:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Otterbein |
7:00 PM |
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Asbury at Transylvania |
7:00 PM |