Wittenberg Escapes Day 1 Of Border Battle Unscathed

The Wittenberg Tigers had sailed through the first two weeks of the 2007 season, so perhaps it was the wake-up call the No. 1 ranked team in the nation needed.

September 14, 2007
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers had sailed through the first two weeks of the 2007 season, so perhaps it was the wake-up call the No. 1 ranked team in the nation needed. After cruising past Adrian 3-0 in their Border Battle opener, the Tigers were forced to rally for a 3-2 win over Hope in the nightcap.

The wins extended the Tigers' perfect record to 12-0 on the season, heading into a Saturday schedule that includes dangerous foes Alma and Calvin, the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region runner-up to Wittenberg each of the last two years. Wittenberg's two wins helped the Ohio side of the Border Battle to a commanding 6-2 lead in the unofficial team competition. Michigan's wins were registered by Calvin, 3-0 over Baldwin-Wallace, and Hope, 3-1 over Mount St. Joseph.

For Wittenberg, the day's first match went according to script. The Tigers dominated by scores of 30-15, 30-18, 30-18, as junior outside hitter Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) led with 11 kills and junior middle hitter Jessica Kimble (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont) added nine kills. Williams posted an efficient .347 attack percentage, while Kimble was even better with a .500 attack percentage.

In addition, sophomore libero Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) led with 14 digs, while sophomore setter Erin Slattery (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston)contributed four aces.

The night's second match started well enough as the Tigers won going away 30-21. But Hope showed a lot of moxie, holding off a Wittenberg rally in Game 2 to win 32-30 and then dominating Game 3 to win 30-26. Wittenberg recovered to dominate the final two games, however, dominating by scores of 30-16 and 15-8.

Williams was a force offensively again, leading with 18 kills, and senior outside hitter Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance) had one of her finest matches of the young season with 17 kills. Defensively, senior middle hitter Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) finished with five blocks and Kimble added four. Fender was tops in digs again, this time finishing with 26 digs.