Tigers Split Matches on Day 2 of Showcase

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Trying to knock off top-20 team for a second straight day, Wittenberg put a major scare into No. 13-ranked Loras before falling, 3-1. The Tigers rallied back in their second match of the day by defeating Illinois Tech, 3-0, to finish Day 2 of the Springfield Men's Volleyball Showcase on a high note on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

Two evenly matched teams put on a show during the 1 p.m. match that took place at Wittenberg's 1929 Gymnasium, with Wittenberg falling just a few points shy of picking up its second win over a top-20 team in less than 24 hours. Wittenberg topped No. 5 Southern Virginia, the defending national champions on Friday, 3-2. While it was a 3-1 loss for the Tigers on paper, the match was much closer, with Loras just barely making it out alive in scores of 20-25, 29-27, 33-31, and 25-23. The total point spread was 107-106 in favor of Loras.

The Tigers came out strong on the attack and took set one by five points. The next three sets saw each team fighting like crazy for the lead and matching one another point for point, with things just not falling in the Tigers' favor on the key points late in each set. Wittenberg jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, but that would be the largest margin either team would have the rest of the match. There were 12 ties in set two, 18 ties in set three, and 14 ties in set four. Things were quite equal in the final team stats as well, with Witt grabbing the .204 to .196 edge in the hitting percentage category. Wittenberg is 1-5 in the overall series against Loras.

After a break, the Tigers were well-rested and took care of Illinois Tech in three straight sets, 3-0, in scores of 25-19, 25-19, and 25-21 at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

The Tigers hit either above .300 or close to it in all three sets and spread out the offense with four players getting seven or more kills. With the split on the day, the Tigers push their season record to 8-3 overall. They are 6-0 in the series against Illinois Tech, which fell to 1-8 on the season.

Team Leaders vs. Loras

• Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) led the team in kills with 15 on 40 total attacks for a .225 hitting percentage. He also had 16.5 points, nine digs, and two blocks.
• Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) had 12 kills on 25 total attacks for a .440 hitting percentage. He also had two blocks and 13.5 points. 
• Michael Yurk  (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) added 11 kills, a service ace, 14 digs, three blocks, and 15 points.
• Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) also had 14 digs.
• Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) led the team in assists with 25. He also had 13 digs. Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) picked up 18 assists and five digs.
• Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) had two service aces, four blocks, and 10.5 points.

Team Comparison vs. Loras

• Wittenberg had 54 kills on 147 total attacks for a .204 hitting percentage, along with 48 assists, three service aces, 62 digs, and 12 blocks.
• Loras had 58 kills on 163 total attacks for a .196 hitting percentage, along with 53 assists, seven service aces, 59 digs, and six blocks.

Team Leaders vs. Illinois Tech

• Halverson led the team in kills with 10. He also had 11 digs and 12 points. Monnin added eight kills and nine points.
• Yurk and Newton each added seven kills. Yurk had 10 points with two service aces. Newton had nine points.
• Hagerty led the team in assists with 23, while Hill picked up 11.
• Noah Vencill (Kingsville, OH / Edgewood) added 11 digs.

Team Comparison vs. Illinois Tech

• Wittenberg finished with 37 kills on 86 total attacks for a .337 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 36 assists, five service aces, 43 digs, and seven blocks.
• Illinois Tech landed 32 kills on 103 total attacks for a .097 hitting percentage. The Cardinals also had 27 assists, six service aces, 38 digs, and two blocks.

Up Next

Wittenberg will travel to Plymouth, Wisconsin, on Feb. 14 to take on Lakeland and Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 2 and 4:30 p.m.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook