Tigers Advance To NCAC Finals With Sweep Of Denison

Christina Gilene

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The first-seeded Wittenberg volleyball team faced down fourth-seeded Denison Friday night in Pam Evans Smith Arena and came away with a 3-0 win by scores of 25-22, 25-11 and 25-11, advancing to the North Coast Athletic Conference Finals where they will face second-seed Hiram.

The Tigers, now an impressive 29-2 overall on the season, withstood a resilient Big Red squad in the first set and bounced back in a big way for matching 25-11 wins in the second and third sets to secure the showdown with the Terriers tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m.

With the win, Wittenberg's third sweep of Denison at home on the season, the Tigers will appear in their 19th consecutive NCAC Tournament championship match, and for the eighth-straight year their opponent is Hiram.

As a team, Wittenberg held the Big Red to a .126 attack percentage while hitting for .442 themselves, including .560 in the third set. Senior setter Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) proved she was not just in the assist business by splitting the team lead in kills with junior Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley), as each tallied nine in the match.

Cox also dished out 26 assists, setting up an attack unit that saw junior Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson), junior Miranda Sagle (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) and sophomore Jesse Batanian (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame) strike for seven kills each. Sagle paced the team in hitting percentage with a .636 mark, committing no errors in 11 attempts.

Sophomore libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) led the defensive effort with 10 digs and added three service aces to the mix, while at the net, Batanian and junior Catherine Farny (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) each recorded two total blocks.

In the first set, Denison jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the Tigers raced back to even and then ahead 10-6. Wittenberg rode the momentum out to a 19-11 lead, but Denison fought back within two at 20-18. Ultimately, the rally quieted and the Tigers finished out the 25-22 win.

The second set took a decidedly different tone, as Wittenberg jumped out to a 11-2 lead early and led by as many as 15 points. The third set was more moderately paced, as the Tigers built to their largest lead in the final margin of 25-11.

Wittenberg prepares for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship match on Saturday, facing the Hiram Terriers, who bounced three-seed Wooster 3-0 in the other semifinal Friday night.

John Strawn '07