box scores: vs. Bluffton  /  vs. Huntington

The John Carroll Volleyball team, off to its best start in eight years, won three of its four matches to chalk up a runner-up finish at the eighth annual Defiance College Invitational, which concluded this afternoon in Defiance, Ohio.

After going the distance with five-game victories against Defiance and Wilmington to win its pool, John Carroll was grouped with the other two pool play winners to decide a tournament champion on Saturday.

In the opening match this morning, John Carroll rode the momentum of a 32-30 first game win to sweep Bluffton (30-19 and 30-15 were the game two and three scores).

In what turned out to be a de facto championship match, Huntington College of Indiana would wrap up the tournament tile by sweeping the Blue Streaks, 30-25, 30-24, 30-16.

It was a complete team effort for the Blue Streaks. Meredith McDiarmid, who tallied 174 assists in four matches, was named to her second all-tournament team this year. Meagan Gambone had a team-best 53 kills to go with a team-best .374 hitting percentage. Kate Schafer topped the squad in digs with 69 in her four matches, while MaryEileen Dalton and Colleen Cavanagh shared the team lead with 12 blocks.

With their three wins this weekend, the Blue Streaks now own a record of 6-3 -- the team's best nine-game start since the 2000 campaign when John Carroll began the year 8-1.