HANOVER, Ind. -- Third-seeded Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology battled second-seeded Bluffton University in the tightest five-set match played by the Fightin' Engineers this season before falling 26-24, 21-25, 26-24, 24-26, 15-12 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday at Hanover.
Rose-Hulman's eight players in the match all made key contributions to keep the Fightin' Engineers within striking distance. Sophomore Bailey MacInnis recorded 18 kills and 23 digs, with freshman Mia Styczynski contributing 17 kills and five block assists to the performance.
Sophomore Marissa Gollnick added 12 kills, 22 digs and nine assists, and freshman setter Katie Orbeta recorded a career-high 44 assists. Orbeta also had a career-high seven block assists to match the team-high total also set by senior Emily McLendon.
Junior Gabi Razma tallied a team-high 29 digs, and sophomore Julia Hammond recorded eight kills and 16 digs. Freshman Gabrielle Gilbertson added numerous serves and a pair of digs to the team effort.
MacKenzie McFarlin had 26 kills, Erin Weisgarber tallied 57 assists and Sydney Mohler recorded 30 digs to lead the Bluffton effort.
Bluffton went on to win the conference championship with a four-set victory over Hanover College on Sunday. Following the tournament, Gollnick and MacInnis earned spots on the all-HCAC Tournament Team.
