It has been a hard season for the Blue Angels volleyball team. A young team that has been derailed early on by injuries, and subsequently had to make adjustment after adjustment to stay competitive. On Wednesday Oct. 15th the Blue Angels will head to the Kern Center at 7:00 pm to play the MSOE Raiders.
The Blue Angels are shuffling around the lineup, and appear to have found the mix of talent on the court that gives them the best shot for success. Beth Van Hammond (So./Appleton, Wis.) stepped in after an injury to setter Payton Hintz (Fr./Almond, Wis.) and has taken over the libero spot for the Blue Angels. Since the shift, Van Hammond has taken control of the back court with 107 digs and 34 assists.
Moving around the lineup seems to have little effect on the offensive production from Sarah Wishau (Sr./Oak Creek, Wis.) who is approaching her 500th kill for her collegiate career. This season, most of Wishau's team leading 135 kills have come from Hintz. The maestro of the Blue Angels, Hintz leads with 205 assists despite missing a handful of games in the middle of the 2014 season.
All-time, the series between the Raiders and the Blue Angels is 7-1 led by MSOE. The Raiders are 9-10 on the season, but come into Wednesday's game winning two in a row. The Blue Angels are on a 22 set losing streak, but put up 19 points in a single set against NCCAA Midwest region leaders Maranatha Baptist University.
After the match at the Kern Center, the Blue Angels will look towards Friday Oct. 17th to host their final triangular of the season at the Bloechl Center. The matches will include the Blue Angels, and feature Finlandia University and North Central University (Minn.). The triangular will coincide with Senior Night to honor Sarah Wishau and Katie Edwards (Sr./Mackinaw, Ill.), which will begin at 4:00 pm.
