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The Defiance College volleyball team hosted Manchester University Wednesday evening, October 18th, during the annual Purple with a Purpose game. The Yellow Jackets won in three straight sets, improving their record 4-2 in HCAC play.

Defiance came out strong with a 10-3 advantage over Manchester. The Spartans were able to catch up to the Jackets after many kills and multiple Jacket service errors. Defiance was able to hold out and win set one 25-21. The Jackets started set two slow with a 8-14 deficit and stayed behind for most the set. After consecutive kills from different Jackets and a couple Spartan errors, Defiance was able to take set two 25-22. Set three was a battle back and forth between Defiance and Manchester. The Spartans came out with the lead, but the Jackets fought back to tie the game at 9 and 12. Defiance was able to push past Manchester and take set three to win the match.

Brooke Plummer lead the offense with a total of 11 kills, and Marissa Windau was right behind with 10 kills. Madison Hollis also had 2 service aces in the Yellow Jacket win. On the defensive side, Jaidyn Patridge led with 31 digs and Windau following with 11. After the game, senior co-captain, Sydney Unger, had to say, “This was a good win for us, sweeping them in three will give us the momentum we need for the last three games of conference.” The Yellow Jackets hit the road to Transylvania University on Saturday, October 21st, for a 2pm start.

Written by Michaela Bauer

The Defiance College volleyball team traveled to  Transylvania University on Saturday morning, October 21st for an early afternoon match-up. The Yellow Jackets lost in three straight sets, making their record 4-3 in HCAC play.

In set one, Defiance battled back and forth against Transylvania, tying the set at 4, 5, 6, and 7. The Pioneers steadily led the match for quite a while until the Jackets were able to come back and tie the set again at 20. Transylvania took the lead at that point and won the set 21-25. Defiance started set two playing right behind Transylvania, playing, at most, 4 points behind the Pioneers. Transylvania was able to break open the lead by taking advantage of Defiance errors and won 16-25. In set three, Yellow Jacket miscommunication and strong Transylvania offense was too much for Defiance, causing a 5-25 loss.

Jessi Davis was the offensive leader for the Jackets with 6 kills, with sister Jenni and Marissa Windau right behind with 5 kills a piece. The defensive leader for the day was Abigail Cronin with 7 digs, and Marissa behind with 6 digs. “We definitely didn’t play to our best ability. The best thing we can do is learn from it. We still have a lot of season left with some big conference games. It’s far from over but we need to keep getting better and stick to the game plan” was what Junior co-captain Marissa Windau had to say. The Yellow Jackets will be back in action Wednesday evening, October  25th, for their Senior Night against Anderson University, at 7pm.

Written by Michaela Bauer

President Trump’s plan to build a border wall has caused a trickle-down effect on many other immigration programs or issues. DACA is a program that protects more than 800,000 undocumented youths. This program was created by former President Barack Obama to protect undocumented minors from immediate deportation. This program is available upon request for a period of two years, but does not give a lawful status to those illegal immigrants. With that said, the number of younger individuals immigrating to the United States or currently living in the U.S. may expect to see this program more difficult to be accepted into. According to Kaitlyn Schallhorn of Fox News, in order to request to be protected by DACA an individual, “must also have a high school diploma, GED certification, been honorably discharged from the military or still be in school. Recipients cannot have a criminal record”. This program was created to ensure the safety of the younger and innocent population that illegally immigrate to the United States.

As most people in the U.S. as well as people around the world know Trump has strong views on immigration. With this program in particular, he views DACA as “illegal amnesty”. His plan is to incorporate a stronger resistance to sanctuary cities. Currently, it is questionable as to what will come about on this topic. It has caused a rise in discussion with many surrounding this issue. Many politicians have strong comments about this issue ranging from one spectrum to another. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that this plan will create an “immigration system with integrity”. Whereas, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed it, “fails to represent any attempt at compromise”. Hopefully, Trump can incorporate the past views of Obama in terms of protecting the younger population as well as blend his views on illegal immigration to create a program that resembles the beliefs of all.

I’m sure many students and faculty have their own opinions about Trump as well as the immigration issues. I interviewed one student on campus who discussed her personal beliefs regarding DACA and Trump’s plan to enforce stricter guidelines. Rebekah Groden, a junior here at DC, shared that this issue resonates with her personally as some of her family is from Puerto Rico. She stated that if Puerto Rico was not a U.S. territory that her grandpa would have been an “illegal immigrant.” This is turn would have affected her entire family. Rebekah also stated that, “Enforcing stricter guidelines for this program will only make things worse for children and that the they are innocent and could not control whether or not their family immigrated or not”. Therefore, she believes the children should not be punished for the issue of illegal immigration. It will be interesting to see how this program is changed or if it remains the same.

Written by Madysyn Creighton

The Defiance College volleyball team played at Hanover College Saturday evening, October 14th. The Yellow Jackets lost their first conference match in a row, making their record 3-2 in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets started slow against the Panthers, with a 3-12 deficit. They were able to play back and forth with Hanover at that point, but was never able to push past the Panthers. Defiance lost set one 16-25. Defiance unfortunately was not able to stop the Panther’s offense in set two or three. The Jackets never lost hope, but was not able to put up enough points to best Hanover. Defiance lost the last two sets of the night 13-25 and 12-25.

Morgan Porter led the night offensively with 5 kills. Jenni Davis and Brooke Plummer were right behind with 4 kills a piece. Defensively, Marissa Windau led the Jackets with Jaidyn Patridge not far behind with 8 and 6 digs respectively. Windau said, “ As a team, we never gave up. Which is a large step for us. Something we have really been working on is perseverance.” She also mentioned, “ To come back from the losses, all we can do is stick together and learn from each experience. No one likes losing, but it prepares us even better for next time.” The Defiance College volleyball team is back in action Wednesday night, October 18th, at 7pm. This will also be the volleyball team’s annual “Purple with a Purpose” game for awareness of Pancreatic Cancer.

Written by Michaela Bauer

The Defiance College volleyball team traveled to Bluffton University Wednesday evening, October 11th. The Yellow Jackets dropped their first conference match, making their record 3-1 in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets started out slow, finding themselves in a 1-5 deficit. They quickly came back to a 7-6 dominance, taking advantage of Beaver errors. The teams battled back and forth for the rest of the set until Bluffton was able to push forward, winning set one 17-25. In set two, the Yellow Jackets fought hard against the Beavers, tying the score at 5 and again at 8. Bluffton was able to hold a lead the rest of the game, even though Defiance was not far behind. The Jackets were not able to push past the Beavers, losing set two 21-25. The third set was a struggle for the Yellow Jackets, never making it to double digits. Bluffton was able to record many kills and take advantage of multiple Jacket errors, winning the final set 9-25.

Jessi Davis lead the offensive side for the night with a total of six kills, with Danielle Robbins not far behind with five kills. Emma Seitz led the blocking with two blocks on the night. Morgan Porter led the defense with 16 digs and Jaidyn Patridge had 14 for the night. When asked about the game, Patridge had to say, “We have to start focusing more at practice. We need to follow the game plan Coach gives us and step up our energy a lot in order to gain momentum. Consistency is also a huge factor that we are slowly starting to get the hang of, but we have to carry it through the entire match.” Defiance continues HCAC play at Hanover on Saturday evening.

Written by Michaela Bauer

The Defiance College Men’s Soccer team joined high school and college teams across the nation in the United Soccer Coach’s Play with Pride week. From September 18-24, soccer teams across the nation would show their support for players and coaches who identify as LGBTQ by switching out their shoe laces for rainbow colored ones. The Jackets changed their laces for their HCAC-opener versus Franklin on September 30th where the boys also brought home a victory, beating the Grizzlies 2-0.

Dan Woog, a chair of the United Soccer Coach’s LGBT Coaches and Allies Member Group, speaks on the widespread diversity within the world of soccer. He states that, “diversity includes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender coaches, players, support staff, referees and fans. This is a simple, effective and very colorful way to send the message that every person, associated with every team, is valued and respected.”

Nick Kleptz, a senior for the Yellow Jackets, stated that “the reason we chose to participate in this event was that we wanted to support the LGBTQ community. What better way than to support the cause while doing what we all love to do as well”.

Professional teams have also participated in showing their support for the LGBTQ community as well. For example, in June the US Men’s and Women’s National teams wore jerseys with rainbow numbers to show their support.

For more information regarding Playing with Pride, please visit https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/web/News/Articles/August_2017/United_Soccer_Coaches_launches_Play_With_Pride_initiative.aspx.

Written by Jordan Osborne

(Defiance, OH) Defiance College’s Women’s Soccer team hosted the Transylvania Pioneers during homecoming weekend in yet another HCAC matchup for our Lady Jackets. The Pioneers traveled from Lexington, Kentucky, coming into the game with a record of 3-6-2, while our Jackets came in with a record of 1-8.

DCWS had a pretty eventful day, even prior to the game starting. Two of their very own players were represented on the Homecoming Court. Whitney Webb represented the sophomore class while Kassie Memmer was one of the nominees for Senior Homecoming Queen. Congratulations to those two!

They continued this momentum with a very evenly matched first half. The game was a grudge match the whole first half, neither side budging on who was going to allow the first goal. Both sides were able to put together good runs, and move the ball well, but stellar defense and excellent by both goalkeepers held the match at 0-0 for the first half.

Defiance finished the first half with 2 shots on goal, while the Pioneers were able to muster 9 shots, all which the keeper, Madi Bowman, was able to knock away. The second half was not as well for the Jackets though.

Transylvania was able to strike early in the second half, sneaking two shots past the keeper. The first came in the 50th minute, and the second came shortly after in the 52nd minute. Defiance attempted to fight back, putting 5 more well placed shots on goal, but just could not find the back of the net.

After the game, we caught up with sophomore Lauren Oglesbee, who stated this, “The best teams have chemistry. They communicate with each other and they sacrifice personal glory for the common goal. Nothing will break our bond, no matter what the outcome. Even though we lost, nothing will break our bond we have with one another.”

The Lady Jackets continue with their conference play against the Earlham Quakers on Wednesday, October 11th at home at 3:30 PM. DCWS would love the support, and if you see someone on the team, wish them good luck! Go Jackets!

Written by Zac Bires

The Defiance College volleyball team hosted Mount St. Joseph on Homecoming, Saturday afternoon, October 7th. The Yellow Jackets were able to beat the Lions in four sets, pushing their record 3-0 in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets started out the first set battling back and forth with the Lions. Mount St. Joe took advantage of Defiance errors, and ran away with the lead, winning 15-25. In the second set, Defiance came back wanting revenge against the Lions. The Jackets recorded kills and service aces while taking advantage of MSJ errors and won set two 25-16. Defiance started out set three with a 10-5 lead. Kills from Brooke Plummer, Danielle Robbins, Sydney Unger, Jenni Davis, and Jessi Davis helped push the Jackets to a 20-14 lead. Unfortunately, Yellow Jacket errors allowed the Lions to catch up and tie the set at 22. Defiance was able to push forward and take set three, 25-22. The Jackets came back battling hard in the fourth set. The two teams went back and forth with the score being close through the whole set. Defiance was able to push on toward the end and win the set 25-18.

Jenni Davis lead Defiance’s offense with 11 kills on the day, and Morgan Porter had two service aces. Jaidyn Patridge lead the defense with 17 digs, while Sydney Unger and Morgan Porter were not far behind with 16 and 15 digs, respectively. Senior Jaidyn Patridge commented on the Jackets play in the first set, “I feel that our energy was not present in the first set and we also were not being aggressive and utilizing the game plan efficiently. Then once we started listening to coach and believing in ourselves, then that was a huge game changer, and we had momentum and also the home court advantage.” Winning against MSJ boosted the Jackets record to 3-0 in conference play. “Being undefeated in conference means that we still have a huge target on our backs and we have to continue to push through every single point, set, and match in order to win the rest of our games.” said Patridge. The Jackets are back in play Wednesday evening, October 11th, at Bluffton University at 7pm.

Written by Michaela Bauer

(Defiance, OH) Defiance College’s Lady Jackets traveled to their rival Bluffton to take on the Beavers on Wed, October 4th. This game was a grudge match for the Jackets, winning in overtime the previous year. Defiance came into this game at 1-7, and 0-1 in HCAC play, while Bluffton came in with a record of 1-8, while also being 0-1 in HCAC.

The Yellow Jackets came into the first half with a ton of energy. They put together great runs, moved the ball very well, and were able to put 12 shots on goal, yet none of them were able to find the back of the net. This did not deter the determination of the Jackets, as they continue to put together great runs.

Bluffton was able to find the back of the net in the first half though, with one of their 13 shots sneaking past the keeper in the 11th minute. The Jackets continued to fight tooth and nail, and went into the half with a score that was surprisingly 1-0 with how well each team was playing offensively.

The second half started off in a way that the Jackets did not want, with Bluffton scoring very quickly, within the first 18 seconds. This goal was followed up 2 minutes later, with a goal by the same girl, to give Bluffton a 3-0 lead.

The two quick goals woke the Jackets up again, and they continue to make good runs and try to put something past Bluffton’s keeper. The lone goal did not come til the 88th minute though, off the foot of Senior Kassie Memmer into the corner of the net.

The Jackets fell with a final score of 3-1, and fall to 0-2 in conference, and 1-8 on the season. They look to turn things around this upcoming Saturday, a day full of homecoming festivities. They play at 3:30 against the Transylvania Pioneers.

Also, a member of the Women’s team is on the Homecoming Court. Senior Kassie Memmer is up for Homecoming Queen, so do not be afraid to come see the festivities! As always, tell a DCWS good luck, and Go Jackets!

Written by Zac Bires

The Defiance College volleyball team played at Earlham College Wednesday evening, October 4th. The Yellow Jackets fought hard and were able to beat the Quakers in five sets, making their record 2-0 in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets started the first set slow, finding themselves behind 1-5. They fought hard the entire set, but was never able to take a lead and lost 23-25. In set two, Defiance came back strong, putting up a 7-2 lead. The Jackets continued to fight hard with revenge, and won the second set 25-16. The third set was a battle between the two teams from the beginning. Defiance and Earlham tied the 5 and again at 9 points. Earlham then took the lead until Defiance was able to tie it again at 20. The Jackets were able to fight back with kills from Morgan Porter, Emma Seitz, Brooke Plummer and Jessi Davis and a service ace by Sydney Unger. Defiance won set three 29-27. Set four was all Earlham due to multiple Jacket errors. The Quakers won 10-25. Set five was a slow start for Defiance, finding themselves down 3-7. They quickly were able to come back and tie the game at 7. At that point, it was a back and forth battle between the teams, tying the game at 12. The Jackets then ran away with the lead, winning set five 15-12.

One the offensive side, Morgan Porter and Jessi Davis lead the Jackets with 14 kills a piece and Madison Hollis recorded 43 assists. Jaidyn Patridge lead the defense for the Jackets with 26 digs. When asked about the game, co-captain Sydney Unger said, “At the end of the day a win is a win, it may not have been pretty, but we still got the win.” The Yellow Jackets continue their conference play at home on Saturday. “To prepare for MSJ we will continue to work on hitting our shots and reading the hitter on defense.” explained Unger. Defiance returns home on Saturday, October 7th, for another conference match-up against Mount St. Joseph at 1pm.

Written by Michaela Bauer