Yellow Jacket Volleyball Clinches HCAC Postseason Berth

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College volleyball team qualified for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament for the second consecutive season on Wednesday evening with a straight-set victory over Anderson University. The win gives the Jackets a conference record of 5-2 and an overall record of 15-10.

The Purple and Gold entered the contest with a 4-2 conference mark, needing only one victory in its last three HCAC matches to seal the berth. The Ravens of Anderson came into the matchup fighting to keep their postseason aspirations alive with a record of 2-4 in the Heartland.

Both teams came out fighting in the opening set, as the squads were tied at 19-19 late in the first. The Yellow Jackets then won six of the final eight points to close out the set by a score of 25-21. Junior outside hitter Christa Seidenstricker paced the DC attack in the opener with five kills and four digs.

The first-set victory gave Defiance all the momentum for set number two, as the Jackets raced out to a 19-7 lead. The Purple and Gold went on to cruise to a 25-14 second-set win, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 set lead. Junior Chelsea Ludeman led DC in the second stanza with five kills on only seven attempts for an attacking percentage of .714. Ludeman also added an ace and two digs to her impressive offensive numbers.

After being dominated in the second set, the Ravens dug in and refused to go down without a fight in the third frame. The teams traded blows throughout much of the set without either team being able to take control. With the match tied at 19-19, Defiance was able to win two-straight points to grab a 21-19 lead that it never relinquished. The Purple and Gold held on to win the third and final set by a score of 25-23.

Defiance's top attacking performer on the evening was Ludeman, who surpassed the 15-kill mark for the second consecutive match. The junior has now recorded 15 or more kills five times this season and has hit double-digit kill totals on 12 occasions. Ludeman also added two aces and two blocks in the match.

Other Yellow Jacket standouts were sophomores Bree Anderson and Alicia Kalik. Anderson totaled 13 kills in the contest, marking her third straight match with double-digit kill totals. Anderson has found her attacking prowess as of late, recording at least 10 kills in seven of her last nine matches.

Kalik finished the evening with 38 assists, the third highest total for Defiance in a three-set match this season. The 38 assist performance marks the eighth time the sophomore has averaged at least 10 assists per set in a match this season.

Four of the Jackets' five HCAC victories have come in straight-set fashion and the win over Anderson was the second time DC defeated the Ravens this season with the first win coming in the first match of the season on August 31. The Purple and Gold won the match by a set score of 3-1. The 3-0 victory over Anderson is the ninth shutout win of the season for Defiance.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, October 20, as Defiance travels to Cleveland for the team's final two non-conference matches of the season against Case Western Reserve and Muskingum. The first match against Case Western Reserve is scheduled to begin at noon followed by the match against Muskingum at 2:00 p.m.