BLUFFTON, Ohio – For the second time in a week, the Franklin College volleyball team headed to Ohio for a pair of matchups, taking on the Bluffton Beavers on Saturday (Feb. 13) afternoon.

The opening match was a five-set thriller, with the Beavers (12-7, 4-3 HCAC) rallying late to take the contest 26-24, 20-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13. The Grizzlies (7-4, 4-2 HCAC) gained a measure of revenge in the night cap, besting Bluffton in four sets 25-22, 12-25, 27-25, 25-20 to earn an afternoon split. 

Match One: Bluffton 3 – Franklin 2
The first set of the day saw the attackers from both teams take center stage, with Franklin notching 15 kills and Bluffton putting away 21 kills. Franklin would fight off set point on three straight occasions, but Bluffton was able to put away the final two points to take a 1-0 lead.

The next two sets saw the Grizzly attackers continue to swing it efficiently, with Franklin hitting better than .210 in both sets. Meanwhile, the FC defense held Bluffton's pin hitters in check by keeping them under a .100 hitting percentage in both sets. Franklin pulled away from Bluffton in both the second and third games to take the lead heading into game four.

Franklin held a late lead in the fourth set before Bluffton ripped off 11 straight points on their way to a comeback win. The final game had the Grizzlies three points away from victory before the Beavers closed things out with an 8-1 run to steal victory.

Kyndall Boyll led all player with 20 kills and was joined in double figures by Reagan Egbert (15 kills), Abby Sewell (13 kills) and Sara Allen (10 kills). Franklin hit .181 in the set with Sofia Helton serving up assists on 53 of the Grizzlies' 64 kills. Allison Thompson led the team with 27 digs and was one of five players to reach double figures in that category. Sewell's eight blocks led all players and her five solo rejections set a new career high.

Match Two: Franklin 3 – Bluffton 1
The opening set saw seven ties and six lead changes in the early going before Franklin took control with a 6-1 run that made it 15-10. They would ride that run to victory, closing out the first game on a Bluffton attacking error. Set two was all Beavers from the jump, as they hit .417 in the set to even the match up.

Game three was another back-and-forth matchup with seven ties and six lead changes in total. Down 23-21 with time running out, Franklin rallied with three straight points and closed out a win in the set with one Grace Laker kill and two Sewell swings to go up by a set. With the final set tied at 14, the Grizzlies took control with a quick 4-1 run that they rode to a five-point win in the deciding set.

Taylor Tatlock's 11 kills led all FC attackers with Sewell adding 10 put aways and another eight blocks. Savanna VanHoy led Franklin with 19 assists and Billie Jarrett served up 16 helpers. Thompson's 27 digs led all players and Kylie Brown recorded a career-high 10 digs.

Franklin has a quick turnaround before their next competition, which is set for Tuesday (Feb. 16) night at home against Hanover. The first of two matches is set for 6:00 p.m.