TIFFIN – Sarah Parker moved into 9th place in Heidelberg volleyball history for career kills while Jamie Kluding threw a block party as the Berg volleyball team grinded out a five-set win over Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday. The Student Princes were dominant in the second and third set after dropping the first, but had to battle in a fifth set to earn the OAC victory.

KEY STATS

Parker had a team-high 22 kills in the match with a .404 hitting percentage. Those kills moved her career total to 1,074 and in sole possession of 9th place in the Berg record books. She passed Jacki Street, who amassed 1,071 kills from 2009-2012 for the Student Princes.

Kluding had four solo blocks in the match, including a big one in the fifth set that moved Heidelberg to match point. The senior also picked up 20 kills in the win.

Karlie DiRuzza set a new career high with 65 assists, which are the most by a Heidelberg setter since Morgan Magers had 65 on October 20, 2007 in a five-set loss against Hiram.

FIRST SET

Baldwin Wallace started off strong early and took a quick 10-6 lead after an attack error by the Berg. The Student Princes fought back, however, and knotted things up at 15 after a block by Janessa Scott and Sarah Parker. After the two sides traded points to remained tied at 18, the Yellow Jackets made a late push to take a 22-18 edge. That push made the difference as Baldwin Wallace took the set 25-19.

SECOND SET

Early on, the second set was highly competitive, as they went back and forth to a tie at eight. Heidelberg then got out to a 13-9 lead, forcing Baldwin Wallace to call a timeout. The Student Princes continued that run out to a 17-9 lead after a kill from Scott, making the Yellow Jackets call another timeout in an attempt to stop the momentum. Heidelberg continued to roll, however, as a solo block by Jamie Kluding gave the Berg a 20-10 edge. That lead proved to be enough as the Student Princes cruised to the 25-13 set win.

THIRD SET

Heidelberg carried their momentum into the start of the third set, as an ace by Karlie DiRuzza opened up a 12-7 lead for the Berg, forcing a timeout by Baldwin Wallace. The Student Princes continued their run as they opened up a 20-13 lead following a kill by Kluding. Heidelberg finished off the set with a 25-18 victory.

FOURTH SET

After two-straight dominant sets by the Berg, the Yellow Jackets came out strong to start the fourth. They jumped out to an 8-3 lead, forcing Heidelberg to call a timeout. After falling behind 12-6, Heidelberg slowly started to battle back, as a kill by Scott made it just a 10-13 deficit. A timeout by Baldwin Wallace did not stop the momentum, as an ace by DiRuzza brought the score even at 13. BW took a late 24-21 lead, and the Berg was able to score two-straight, but the Yellow Jackets finished it off 25-23 to force a fifth set.

FIFTH SET

In the winner-take-all fifth set, a kill by Parker gave the Berg an early 5-3 lead, causing BW to take a timeout. Another ace by DiRuzza pushed that lead out to 8-4 as the two teams switched sides. The Yellow Jackets were able to pull within one at 9-8, but Heidelberg was able to stretch their lead back out to 12-9.  HU finished things off 15-10 to win the match.

QUOTES

Head coach Jason Miller on the adjustment from the first to second set: "It was just a matchup thing. We were trying to put a little more offense on the floor and their outside hitter just dominated...we couldn't stop her, so once we switched our lineup and went big with Laura Schrag, we shut their offense down, and that was huge. We got our offense going, and it just rolled from there."

Miller on the play of Kluding: "Typically on the right side we're blocking the zone, but tonight because of their offense, we switched up to where she was just blocking the ball. Her job was to just find the ball and block it, and it paid off for us."

Miller on Parker: "What do you say? She's a kid that shows up every night and plays hard. She's very dependable. That's Sarah's mojo, she's a kid that doesn't get too rattled, doesn't get too shaken."

UP NEXT

Heidelberg will remain at home this weekend as they host a tri-match with Muskingum and 24th-ranked Case Western Reserve on Saturday. The Student Princes will take on the Muskies at 1:00 p.m. and the Spartans at 5:00 p.m. in Seiberling Gymnasium.