Earlham (0-2, 0-1 HCAC) at Bluffton (7-0, 1-0 HCAC)
Bluffton, Ohio – Sommer Center
Match 1 – Bluffton def. Earlham, 3-2 (18-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-11)
Match 2 – Bluffton def. Earlham, 3-2 (22-25, 16-25, 25-17, 25-16, 15-6)

BLUFFTON, Ohio – Earlham College women's volleyball took two-set leads in each match but was unable to complete the victory as the Quakers dropped a pair of matches on Friday night at Bluffton University.

Bluffton captured the first match 3-2, and won the second match by an identical 3-2 score.

Match 1

Earlham outhit the host Beavers on the night, .170 to Bluffton's .144, and the Quakers finished the match with 16 total blocks to the Beavers' eight.

However, Bluffton amassed 65 kills on 201 swings – only 30 more than Earlham recorded – and finished with 11 service aces.

Caroline Mulvihill tallied 12 kills to lead the Earlham attack while Sarah Dickman and Olivia Kyrk each logged nine kills. Erin Wagner finished with 37 assists. Jennifer Shamel sprawled for 20 digs.

Bluffton's Remi Bower put down 21 kills on 70 swings to pace the Beavers offensively, and had five service aces.

Match 2

Earlham again posted wins in the first two sets – including a convincing 25-16 triumph in set two behind a .257 hitting percentage – before dropping three straight sets for the five-set loss.

Maria Young finished the match with 17 kills on 39 swings, while Caroline Mulvihill recorded 11 terminations to go with her 13 digs. Jennifer Shamel paced the Quakers with 19 digs.

Erin Wagner recorded 30 assists while running an Earlham attack that hit .104 for the match, trailing the .155 hit by the Beavers over the five sets. Olivia Kyrk was credited with three total blocks for the Quakers.

Earlham volleyball returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 27, when it travels to Lexington, Kentucky, to face Transylvania University. Start time for the first match is 6:00 p.m.