Men’s Volleyball Chalks Up Another MCVL Victory

ADRIAN, MI – After a 17-day break, Wittenberg Men's Volleyball got off to a slow start on the road against Adrian College, dropping set one before regrouping to claim the next three and pull off a 3-1 victory in a Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) match at the Merillat Sport and Fitness Center, Friday, March 20.

Defeating Adrian in scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-15, and 25-21 to pick up their fourth win in a row, the Tigers improve to 14-5 overall and 3-1 in the MCVL. Wittenberg last played on March 3 when it posted a 3-0 victory over Mount St. Joseph. The match against Adrian marks the first of seven-straight MCVL matches that will close out the season. With the loss, Adrian goes to 8-11 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

It's a crowd at the top in the MCVL with five teams, including Wittenberg, registering just one conference loss so far this season. Other teams include Calvin, Trine, Wabash, and Baldwin Wallace.

In the match against Adrian, Wittenberg's hitting game was slow to get started in set one, with the Tigers turning in a hitting percentage of just .079. The offense came back to life in games two and three as the Tigers hit .325 and .419, respectively. Witt also forced the Bulldogs into numerous errors on its way to finding a good groove. The final set was back and forth, with Witt finally claiming the win.

Three players hit double digits in kills, with Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) leading the way. Yurk had a big night, getting 18 kills on 36 total attacks, while scoring 20.5 points. He also had a service ace, three blocks and helped anchor the defense, grabbing 13 digs. Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) had 13 kills on 31 total attacks and added 14.5 points and three blocks. Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) had 10 kills on 25 total attacks with 11.5 points. He also had eight digs, a block, and a service ace. Harrison Mitchell (Dublin, OH / Scioto)added nine kills, 11 points, and two blocks. Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) also tallied three blocks on the night

Noah Vencill (Kingsville, OH / Edgewood) led the team in digs with 15, Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) added 11, and Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) had 10. Hagerty led the team in assists with 22, and Hill added 20.

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 58 kills on 140 total attacks for a .264 hitting percentage, along with 54 assists, three service aces, 69 digs, and 13 blocks.
• Adrian had 39 kills on 140 total attacks for a .121 hitting percentage, along with 36 assists, seven service aces, 52 digs, and 12 blocks.

Up Next

Wittenberg will travel to Olivet for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday, March 21.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook