GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The No. 19-ranked Ohio Northern women's volleyball program closed its stay at the 2018 Midwest Invitational Saturday afternoon with a pair of 3-2 losses to Susquehanna (Pa.) and No. 16-ranked Hope (Mich.) at the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Polar Bears, who fall to 15-7 overall on the season, finished the tournament posting a 1-3 record after defeating Elmhurst (Ill.) 3-0 and dropping a 3-1 match against tournament host and top-ranked Calvin (Mich.) on Friday.
In their first match against Susquehanna, Northern pulled out to an early 2-0 lead, defeating the River Hawks 25-22 and 25-23 in the first two sets, respectively. The River Hawks then reeled off 25-15, 25-21, and 17-15 set victories to notch the tournament win.
The Polar Bears would then battle Hope in a highly-competitive second match that included three sets requiring extra points to be played. Northern saw similar success early against the Flying Dutch, claiming 27-25 and 26-24 wins in the first two sets.
However, Hope captured the final three sets 25-21, 26-24, and 15-10 to even the season series after ONU won the season's first meeting 3-0 in the Wittenberg Fall Classic on September 14.
Juniors Chelsea Huppert and McKenna Jordan guided the team offensively Saturday, each registering 28 kills. Huppert would record a .225 hitting percentage on 80 attacks while adding five blocks to lead the team. Meanwhile, Jordan finished the day with a .175 mark on a team-high 103 attempts and pitched in three blocks and seven digs on day two.
