Written by Athletic Communications Student Assistant AJ Schultz '27
BEREA, Ohio – The No. 9 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University men's volleyball team hosted the BW Invitational in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Recreation Center. The Yellow Jackets earned two victories in the three matches they competed in on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
BW (11-2) fell to No. 10 nationally ranked Messiah University (Pa) in their first match of the tournament by scores of 20-25, 18-25, 25-23, and 27-29 on Friday night. The next day, the Yellow Jackets added another win to their record as they defeated Hobart College (N.Y.) by scores of 25-15, 25-18, 24-26, and 26-24. On Sunday, they matched up against Benedictine College (Ill.) and racked up another win. They conquered the Eagles by scores of 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 22-25, and 15-7.
(L, 3-1) vs. No. 10 Messiah (Pa.)
- Junior Academic All-Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League right-side hitter Jacob Esteves (Wickliffe/St. Edward) had an impressive showing with a match-high 20 kills and team-high nine digs
- Senior middle hitter Josh Steinitz (Towson, Md./Friends School of Baltimore) recorded a team-high four blocks
- Junior outside hitter Owen Huynh (Loveland) and junior outside hitter Daniel Latham (Westerville/Westerville Central) led the squad with one service ace apiece
- Freshman setter Ethan Gundrum (Cincinnati/McNicholas) led the Yellow Jackets with 47 assists
(W, 3-1) vs. Hobart (N.Y.)
- Sophomore libero David Abercrombie (Maricopa, Ariz.) tallied a season-high 13 digs to lead the Yellow Jackets
- Huynh hit an efficient .444 on 27 swings, resulting in a team-high 17 kills
- Freshman outside hitter Tyler Schunk (Eden, N.Y.) added a team-high three service aces
- Senior All-MCVL Second-Team middle hitter Colby Whiteside (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) led the Brown and Gold in blocks with five
- Gundrum led the BW with 39 assists and tied the team lead with three service aces
(W, 3-2) vs. Benedictine (Ill.)
- Esteves and junior libero Jack Sullenberger (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) each recorded a team-high eight digs, while Esteves led the way with 17 kills
- Latham and senior Academic All-MCVL libero/defensive specialist Aiden Kim (Bothell, Wash./North Creek) both added two service aces
- Gundrum led the Yellow Jackets with 56 assists
- Steinitz and Whiteside stood tall and contributed a team-high four blocks apiece
Up Next
- The Yellow Jackets are back in action next weekend as they travel to Alliance for the Mount Union Tri-Match hosted by fellow MCVL member school, Mount Union University, where they will take on Mount Union at 3:30 p.m. and Buffalo State (N.Y.) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 21.