Bridgewater College

Beginning in 2019, an Athletic Team of Distinction was selected by the hall of fame committee, and honored at a ceremony during a home athletic contest. This year, the 1988 women's volleyball team has been selected as a Team of Distinction.

The 1988 Bridgewater College volleyball team dominated opponents on the way to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Under the leadership of Hall of Fame head coach Mary Frances Heishman, the Eagles ended the season with a record of 33-2, including a perfect 9-0 mark in ODAC contests. That record included a 28-1 mark during the regular season with the only loss coming to Waynesburg. The team responded to the loss by rattling off 21-straight wins and only surrendering four sets in the span. In total, the program shutout its opponents in an incredible 28 of its 33 victories.
 
During the ODAC Tournament, the Eagles continued their dominant run by downing Mary Baldwin 2-0 (15-3, 15-1) and Emory & Henry 2-0 (15-5, 15-5) in the first round of pool play. The Crimson & Gold advanced to the semifinals where they downed Sweet Briar in straight sets again by a count of 15-0, 15-7, 15-3 and also swept Washington and Lee. Bridgewater played a classic with cross-town rival Eastern Mennonite in the championship match battling to victory, 3-2 (16-14, 4-15, 15-4, 1-15, 15-10), to claim its first ODAC title and ending EMU's stretch of six consecutive championships.
 
Members of the team garnered several postseason accolades as Beth Kitts Llewellyn and Dorita Puffenbarger claimed first team All-ODAC nods, while Annette Delahay earned a spot on the second team. The duo of Kitts Llewellyn and Puffenbarger were named all-region as well. Heishman claimed the third ODAC Coach of the Year honor in her illustrious coaching career and also earned the only South Region Coach of the Year laurel in program history.
 
The 1988 squad sits in third in team history for single-season service aces with a total of 466. 114 of those aces were contributed by Dana McDaniel who is fifth all-time in single-season services aces. Members of the team continue to stand throughout the program record book, nearly 40 years later.
 
Four student-athletes from the 1988 volleyball team have previously been enshrined in the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame, including Melody Derrow, Kitts Llewellyn, Debra Burch Spencer and Puffenbarger.