BLUFFTON, Ohio – Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Morris finished with 15 kills and a .324 attack percentage, but the defending Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament champions from Bluffton defeated the Quakers in straight sets on Wednesday.

Bluffton (10-6, 2-0 HCAC) was led by Kendra Parmenter who tallied 15 kills on 19 attack attempts for a .789 attack percentage. Earlham did play solid defense against defending HCAC Offensive Player of the Week Jenny Brown, allowing the senior only two kills and a -.100 attack percentage.

The Beavers won both the first and third set in convincing fashion, but the second set was very tight.

The Quakers got out to an 8-5 lead forcing Bluffton head coach Steve Yarnell to call timeout. The two teams would trade points until Earlham held an 18-15 advantage. Parmenter then recorded four consecutive kills to give the Beavers a 19-18 edge. A Morris kill would tie the set at 19-19, but the Beavers won six of the last nine points to take the set.

Freshman Ashleigh Burton finished with nine kills on two blocks. Freshmen Megan Hedinger and Denisha Mataia led the Quakers defensively with 15 and 10 digs respectively.
Earlham sits at 4-14 on the season and 0-1 in HCAC competition. The Quakers return to action for a tri-match on Saturday, Oct. 3. Earlham will face Franklin at 1 p.m. and Albion at 5 p.m.