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Wieneke Video
Franklin, Ind. - Four players with double-digit kills helped the Franklin College volleyball team improve to 4-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play with a dramatic four-set victory over Bluffton University (25-23, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21) on Saturday inside the Spurlock Center.
The Grizzlies (14-7, 4-0 HCAC) used late runs to capture the first two sets in a matchup of 3-0 league teams. Bluffton (16-7, 3-1 HCAC) led wire-to-wire in the third set to keep things interesting. However, a strong push midway through the fourth set propelled the hosts to the triumph.
Junior Emily Young (Avon, Ind./Avon) led the balanced offensive attack with 12 kills. Classmate Kourtney Settle (Vallonia, Ind./Brownstown Central) added 11 kills. Freshmen Amanda Lelivelt (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Riverside Broofield) and Brooke Harvey (Clinton, Ind./South Vermillion) each chipped in 10 kills. Senior Jordan Finke (Indianapolis, Ind./Lutheran) rounded out the strong hitting performance with nine kills.
Franklin compiled a .233 team hitting percentage for the match.
The offense was orchestrated by sophomore setter Ashley Bazier (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South), who tallied a career-high 47 assists. Bazier also recorded 11 digs defensively.
Junior Mackenzie Wieneke (Seymour, Ind./Seymour) had 32 digs, while Harvey added 10 digs.
Junior Theresa Brown (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) provided three serving aces.
The Grizzlies had 18 blocks in the four-set match. The effort was led by Lelivelt's seven blocks. Finke added four blocks to cap her strong all-around performance.
Franklin is one of only two remaining HCAC teams without a conference loss.
The Grizzlies return to action on Wednesday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m. when it travels to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.