Wittenberg Men’s Volleyball Squeaks by Wabash, 3-2

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – Going up against a hungry Wabash team, Wittenberg Men's Volleyball pulled out its eighth straight victory to remain at the top of the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) standings. It was a nailbiter that required five thrilling sets before the Tigers completed the come-from-behind victory at Wabash's Chadwick Court, on Friday night, April 3.

The Tigers, who improved to 18-5 overall and 7-1 in the conference, have clinched a spot in the MCVL Tournament with one regular season match to go. They needed a win over Wabash to stay in step with Trine, which has also secured a spot. Both teams currently have just one MCVL loss, and if Wittenberg can win its final conference match against Spalding tomorrow, April 4, it will secure home-court advantage for the tournament. Calvin will also make the MCVL Tournament at 7-2 in the league.

Wabash, on the other hand, needed a win to claim a spot in the tournament. The Little Giants, 8-12 overall and 5-4 in the MCVL, will now have to hope for a Baldwin Wallace loss when the Yellow Jackets host Adrian on Saturday, April 4.

The Little Giants put up a big fight against the Tigers, but their 31 errors helped Wittenberg secure the win in five sets by scores of 25-23, 22-25, 33-35, 25-20, and 15-11 in the tiebreaker. There were 12 ties in set one, 11 more in set two, and a whopping 25 in set three. But after falling 35-33 in the third set, the Tigers regrouped, made key blocks and landed the important kills when they needed to and led from start to finish in the final two sets to post the win.

Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) led the team with 17 kills on 38 total attacks for a .342 hitting percentage, and 19.5 points. The senior also added one assist, one service ace, six digs, and three blocks. Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) and Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) each added 13 kills.

Halverson had 35 total attacks for a .257 hitting percentage for 16 points and added two service aces, seven digs, and a block. He now has 254 kills this season, putting him over the 1,000-mark in his career at Witt with 1,001 total. He also has 28 service aces this year for 100 total in his career.

Monnin had 13 kills on 24 total attacks for a .500 hitting percentage and 15.5 points. He also had two digs and four blocks. Patterson Reed (Louisville, KY / St. Xavier) led the team in blocks with five, while Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) led the team in digs with 12. Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) turned in a team-high 34 assists, while Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) added 18 assists.

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 64 kills on 150 total attacks for a .300 hitting percentage, along with 58 assists, five service aces, 41 digs, and 11 blocks.
• Wabash had 70 kills on 150 total attacks for a .260 hitting percentage, along with 69 assists, five service aces, 58 digs, and nine blocks.

Up Next

Wittenberg will travel to Spalding for its last regular-season and MCVL match of the season, on April 4, beginning at 1 p.m.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook