Tigers Come Up Just Short At No. 4 Ranked Ohio Northern

A much-anticipated showdown between the two most successful NCAA Division III volleyball programs in the Great Lakes Region over the last decade went right down to the wire - just as one would expect. This storied rivalry added exciting chapter, albeit one that the Wittenberg Tigers will not reflect on fondly as the fourth-ranked Polar Bears escaped with a 3-2 win over the ninth-ranked Tigers.

September 24, 2009
Box Score
Catherine Farny

ADA, Ohio - A much-anticipated showdown between the two most successful NCAA Division III volleyball programs in the Great Lakes Region over the last decade went right down to the wire - just as one would expect. This storied rivalry added exciting chapter, albeit one that the Wittenberg Tigers will not reflect on fondly as the fourth-ranked Polar Bears escaped with a 3-2 win over the ninth-ranked Tigers.

The loss dropped Wittenberg to 4-3 on the still-young season, while Ohio Northern improved to 13-1. The match served not only as a regional showdown for the Tigers, but also a tune-up for a busy North Coast Athletic Conference "Power Weekend," which includes four matches in two days against conference rivals at Allegheny.

Wittenberg started strong, winning the opening set 25-20 and leading the second 22-18. However, the match turned at that point as the Polar Bears rallied to stave off a set point to take a 28-26 decision. ONU ran out to a 25-21 win in the third set, but the gritty Tigers emptied the bench and rallied for a 25-23 decision in Set 4 to send the match to a deciding fifth set. With the score tied 8-8, however, the veteran Polar Bears won seven of the last eight points, including three kills by Abbie Schaller.

Offensively, Wittenberg was paced by sophomore right-side hitter Catherine Farny (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) with 14 kills and a .267 attack percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Riley (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) added 11 kills and 11 digs, while senior setter Erin Slattery (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) finished with 26 assists and 15 digs.

Freshman libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) led the defense with 26 digs, while senior middle hitter Kate Snead (Westerville, Ohio/South) and Farny were tops in blocks with five and four, respectively.