RICHMOND -- The Earlham College volleyball team has won its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in program history. With a 3-0 win over Bluffton, the Quakers have clinched the regular season title for the 2021 season. 

The Quakers finish their regular season with a mark of 19-5 (8-1 HCAC) while the Beavers finish 10-18 (2-7 HCAC).

Sarah Dickman led the Quakers in kills with nine. The senior from Richmond also scored her 1,000th career kill during the match. Maria Young and Olivia Kyrk each recorded eight kills. 

Erin Wagner handled setting duties with 33 assists on the afternoon. 

Caroline Mulvihill collected 13 digs and tallied two blocks.

Senior Abbey Zanatta, who has been sidelined this season with an injury, came in for serving duties in the first set where she scored one ace. 

The Quakers jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first set after scoring runs from Giselle Mora, Mulvihill and Zanatta. Earlham carried this momentum through the whole set, where the Quakers won 25-6. 

The Beavers showed more fight in the second set and led for the majority of the early points. Trailing 14-11 Earlham went on a 6-1 run to recover and take the lead. Bluffton responded with a 3-0 run to tie the set at 19. Another 6-1 run put the Quakers on match point but they struggled to put the set away for good until a service error from the Beavers ended the set 25-23. 

Earlham returned to form in the third set and had a 9-1 run to start the frame. The Quakers carried this lead throughout the set and grew it by the end. 

Before the match, Earlham honored its seniors for their contributions to the program over their four years. Mora, Zanatta, Dickman, Mulvihill and Sydney Fuller received the special recognition. 

This marks the first regular-season championship for Earlham volleyball in the HCAC era. The Quakers tie Mount St. Joseph for the top spot in the standings but win out with the head-to-head tiebreaker after a 5-set thriller on homecoming in Druley Performance Gym. 

Earlham will host the 2021 HCAC tournament next weekend in Druley Performance Gym and receive a first-round bye along with the Lions. The Quakers will play on Saturday at 2 p.m. and if they win, the conference championship game will be Sunday at 1 p.m.