Men’s Volleyball Splits Pair on Day 2 of Coleman Invitational

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Wittenberg's Men's Volleyball came really close to picking up two more wins on its home court on Day 2 of the Jim Coleman Memorial Invitational hosted by the Tigers at Pam Evans Smith Arena and the 1929 Fieldhouse, both part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

After winning a pair on the opening day of the season, the Tigers picked up a 3-1 victory over Thiel in the first match of Day 2, followed by a 3-2 loss to Westminster that went down to the wire, with the Blue Jays winning 15-13 in the final set to post the win. With the split in matches, Wittenberg goes to 3-1 on the season. Thiel goes to 2-2 overall after getting wins over Eastern Mennonite and Marian, while losing to Wittenberg and Westminster. Westminster is now 6-1 on the season after going undefeated during the invitational. 

Fighting tooth and nail for every point in their first match against Thiel, the Tigers won in four close sets 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, and 25-19. Each set was back-and-forth with Witt finally able to secure the victory behind key offensive plays by Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard), Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community), and Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin). Each of them finished the match with double-digit kill totals with 12, 11, and 10, respectively. Wittenberg is now 4-3 in the all-time series against Thiel.

The Tigers played in back-to-back matches, and in number two against Westminster, they lost in a close battle that literally came down to the wire in scores of 20-25, 25-20, 25-14, 21-25, and 13-15. 

Again, Halverson, Newton, and Yurk led the offense, while Hagerty and Hill shared time in the setter position. Each set was nip-and-tuck, with the Tigers unable to hold Westminster back. Every time one team took the lead, the other team came right back. With the loss to the Blue Jays, the series is even at 1-1, as Wittenberg defeated them last year, 3-1.

Team Leaders vs. Thiel

• Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) led the team in kills with 12 on 24 total attacks. He also had 16 points, two service aces, two blocks, and six digs.
• Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) turned in 11 kills on 23 total attacks, two blocks, and 13 points.
• Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) also had a good day with 10 kills on 25 total attacks, six digs, a block, and 12 points.
• Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) had a team-high 18 digs.
• Patterson Reed (Louisville, KY / St. Xavier) led the team in blocks with five.
• Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) led the team in assists with 20, while Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) picked up 18.

Team Comparison vs. Thiel

• Wittenberg had 44 kills on 96 attacks for a .260 hitting percentage, along with 40 assists, seven service aces, 42 digs, and 10 blocks.
• Thiel had 34 kills on 105 total attacks for a .105 hitting percentage, along with 32 assists, 11 service aces, 27 digs, and 10 blocks.

Team Leaders vs. Westminster

• Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) led the team in kills with 14 on 34 total attacks. He also turned in 15 points.
• Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) registered in 11 kills on 31 total attacks, had three blocks and 14.5 points.
• Michael Yurk  (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) added 10 kills on 20 total attacks. He also had 12.5 points and tied Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) in digs with a team-high 11 each.
• Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) and Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) each led the team in assists with 15 apiece.
• Patterson Reed (Louisville, KY / St. Xavier) added three blocks.

Team Comparison vs. Westminster

• Wittenberg finished with 48 kills on 123 total attacks for a .260 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 43 assists, six service aces, 44 digs, and eight blocks.
• Westminster landed 50 kills on 130 total attacks for a .154 hitting percentage. The Blue Jays also had 43 assists, five service aces, 47 digs, and six blocks.

Up Next

Wittenberg will travel to Hiram on Jan. 24 for a 3 p.m. match.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook