ALLIANCE, Ohio -- The 10th-ranked Mount Union volleyball team captured the school's first outright Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship on Friday night in Alliance, Ohio, by defeating Heidelberg in four sets (24-26, 25-19, 27-25, 25-14).

For the Purple Raiders, it was their seventh straight victory and 19th in their last 21 matches.

After splitting the first two sets, Mount Union found itself on the brink of a 2-1 deficit when Heidelberg's Jacki Street gave her team a 24-21 advantage.  But on the ensuing serve, senior Dee Glass (Medina/Medina) and freshman Mary Tout (North Royalton/North Royalton) blocked an attack by Amber Welfle to bring the Raiders within two.  After a kill by junior Taylor Webb (Geneva/Geneva), Tout tied the score at 24 with a kill of her own.  Then, with the score knotted at 25, the Raiders forced two Heidelberg attack errors to take the set, 27-25, and grab a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The Raiders made quick work of the Student Princes in the fourth, winning 10 of the final 14 points to win the set and the match.

Sophomore Nicole Snyder (Mentor/Lake Catholic) led Mount Union in kills (18).  Tout followed with a career-high 16.  Senior Kristen Gromes (Navarre/Fairless) picked up a season-high 30 digs, Snyder had 21 and sophomore Lauren Mastroine (Orrville/Orrville) finished with 19.  Glass put up a season-high nine blocks.  Freshman Kristen Kayser (Oregon/Clay) tallied 29 assists, while sophomore Sarah Schleich (Westfield Center/Cloverleaf) tacked on 25.

The historic victory for Raiders was the program's record-setting ninth OAC regular season victory.  It came just three days after they locked up the top seed in next week's OAC Tournament.      

Mount Union is now 22-5 overall and 9-0 in the OAC.  Heidelberg fell to 17-12 (5-4 OAC).

The Raiders will be the first seed in the OAC Tournament, which begins on Tuesday (Oct. 30).  They will play the conference's eighth seed, which will be determined tomorrow.  Currently, Capital (3-5) and Muskingum (3-5) sit in a tie for seventh place.

Mount Union concludes its regular season tomorrow afternoon with two home matches against Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) and DePauw (Ind.).  Match times are slated for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

                               Short Box Score (Match)
                          2012 Mount Union Volleyball
         Heidelberg vs #10 Mount Union (Oct 26, 2012 at Alliance, Ohio)

  Mount Union def. Heidelberg 24-26,25-19,27-25,25-14

  Heidelberg (17-12, 5-4 OAC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Marian Bevington
  16-0-2; Amber Welfle 12-1-3; Jacki Street 10-0-0; Jamie Kluding 7-2-3;
  Stephanie Romie 5-0-1; Kristen Zumberger 1-1-0; Tessa Benanzer 0-1-0;
  Alexa Frank 0-2-0; Totals 51-7-5.0. (Assists) - Rachel Ferguson 24;
  Alexa Frank 11. (Dig leaders) - Tessa Benanzer 29; Kristen Zumberger
  15; Jamie Kluding 9; Alexa Frank 9; Rachel Ferguson 9

  Mount Union (22-5, 9-0 OAC) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Nicole Snyder
  18-0-1; Mary Tout 16-0-2; Taylor Webb 10-0-6; Mel Patterson 10-0-2;
  Dee Glass 3-0-9; Lauren Mastroine 1-2-0; Kara Berger 1-0-3; Kristen
  Kayser 0-1-0; Sarah Schleich 0-2-0; Kristen Gromes 0-1-0; Totals
  59-6-13.0. (Assists) - Kristen Kayser 29; Sarah Schleich 25. (Dig
  leaders) - Kristen Gromes 30; Nicole Snyder 21; Lauren Mastroine 19;
  Mel Patterson 10; Sarah Schleich 9

  Site: Alliance, Ohio (The MAAC)
  Date: Oct 26, 2012   Attend: 84   Time: 1:46    
  Referees:
  Mount Union wins OAC regular season championship