BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Hanover College volleyball team defeated Bluffton in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action 3-2 (11-25, 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 15-8), before falling to non-conference opponent Otterbein on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers were led on the day by freshman Adrianne Vance (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore Emma Rolf (Lebanon, Ind.) with double digit kills against Bluffton, while senior Ally Williams (Fountaintown, Ind.) added 23 digs. As a team, Hanover tallied 17 blocks and 62 kills.

Hanover surrendered set one to the Beavers 25-11 before rallying back in set two. The Blue and Red saw themselves trailing 10-6 before a seven-point run led by sophomore Kelsey Ketcham (Mishawaka, Ind.) flipped the script and put HC on top 19-16. The Panthers used the momentum as they continued to dominate the Beavers late in the set with back-to-back kills by sophomore Maura Dankoski(Fishers, Ind.) and Vance that secured the set, 25-22.

In set three, the excitement continued for Hanover as they again found themselves trailing before a series of rallies led by Vance knotted the set at 12-12. The Blue and Red would take the lead a few serves later as junior Brynn Durecki (Winona Lake, Ind.) landed an ace that gave HC the 18-15 advantage. The Panthers continued to roll as they used a late run to take the 2-1 set lead, 25-20.

However, the lead didn't last long as Bluffton took the next set before forcing a five-set thriller. In set five, Hanover surged ahead early scoring the first four points. The domination continued as a Rolf kill and a pair of Bluffton miscues pushed the advantage to 10-4. They would secure the win on a sophomore Maddie Edwards (Jasper, Ind.) kill, 15-8.

In the contest with Otterbein, Hanover looked to force another five-set decision as they attempted to rally back from a two set deficit but came up short falling to the Cardinals, 3-1 (24-26, 15-25, 25-21, 25-22).

Hanover returns to action on Wednesday, October 23 as they take on Earlham. Game time is set for 7 p.m.