BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Capital volleyball team continued its gutsy play on Saturday as it split a pair of matches at the Barker Chevrolet Classic hosted by Illinois Wesleyan. CU beat Trine, 3-1 (18-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-20) before falling to Millikin in five sets (22-25, 13-25, 25-17, 25-17, 12-15).
Capital (now 11-8 overall) was paced by a pair of double-digit kill performances by senior Allison Hostetler (Dalton, Ohio/Dalton HS) and back-to-back 20-plus dig efforts by classmate Sara Doebel (Clyde, Ohio/Clyde HS).
In Saturday's opener against Trine, Hostetler posted 14 kills while hitting at a .324 clip and recording six total blocks. Doebel led the back row with 23 digs while sophomore Emily Heitmeyer (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf HS) tallied nine kills in just 20 swings.
The Crusaders came back from down 0-2 to force a fifth and deciding set against Millikin in the nightcap behind a back row of Doebel with 21 digs and fellow senior Jenna Zumberger (DeGraff, Ohio/Fairlawn HS) with 19 digs. For her efforts, Zumberger was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Hostetler tallied a team-best 12 kills while seniors Jennifer Fekpe (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson HS) and Sarah Gallik (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston HS) each finished with 11 kills.
Heitmeyer added nine kills in the finale for Capital which returns home to play host to Mount Union in an OAC match scheduled for Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Fans can follow the action with FREE Live Stats, Video and Audio at www.CapitalCrusaders.net.