Volleyball Team ’88

Like the 1985 and 1987 teams before it, the 1988 edition of Beaver volleyball took its place in the Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the finest teams ever at Bluffton. Its 34-4 record equaled the second-best winning percentage (.895) of any Bluffton volleyball team.

Led by NAIA District 22 Coach of the Year Kim Fischer and Western Buckeye Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Deb (Wagner) Hucke, the Beavers won their fifth WBCC title and third District 22 championship. Hucke was named the NAIA National Player of the Week in late October and joined Lori Beck on the District 22 first team. Beck was also named second-team WBCC, while Dawn Harrison joined Hucke on the WBCC first team and received District 22 honorable mention.

After winning the district championship, the team placed second at the NAIA Bi-District tournament. During the regular season, it won the Baldwin-Wallace tournament and was second at the Walsh Invitational. Bluffton fashioned an unbeaten conference record and won its last 10 regular-season matches, also winning 22 straight games during that stretch.

Beck led the WBCC in assists, while Hucke was second in kills. Other team members ranked in conference statistics were Harrison, Mary Kehres, Paula Slaughter, Diane Kempf, Tonya Crowe and Nancy Sawyer.