Women’s Volleyball Suffers Heartbreaking Loss to Calvin, 3-2

DELAWARE, OH. –Wittenberg's women's volleyball team hit the road again on Sept. 5 to participate in the NCAC/MIAA Crossover Challenge hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University at Branch Rickey Arena.

Three North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) teams in Wittenberg, Denison, and Ohio Wesleyan are taking on three teams from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) in Calvin, Hope, and Albion on Friday and Saturday. Denison and Ohio Wesleyan were picked to finish first and second in the NCAC, followed by newcomer John Carroll and Wittenberg. Hope was picked to finish first in its conference while Calvin and Albion were picked behind them at second and third. 

Always a tough opponent, Wittenberg battled Calvin in the nightcap Friday night and took the Knights to five sets, falling in a heartbreaker, 3-2, in scores of 25-18, 21-25, 22-25, 25-20, and 10-15.

The Tigers came out strong, leading the entire first game en route to a 25-18 win. After nine ties in game two, Calvin went on a 5-1 run to claim the victory. With the score tied at five-all in game three, the Knights went on a 10-3 run to take a 15-8 lead. The Tigers clawed their way back into it, but couldn't overcome the deficit. However, they gained momentum behind some important offense from Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty), Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern), and Piper Ricketts (Morrow, OH / Little Miami) to capture the 25-20 win in game four to force the tie-breaker, which saw eight ties before Calvin went on a 6-1 run to seal the win. 

Wittenberg drops to 1-3 on the season with the loss, while Calvin improves to 3-1.

The Tigers are 15-21 in the series against Calvin that began in 1994, falling last season to the Knights, 3-0.

Team Leaders

• Worcester had a big night in the kill department with 17 for 20 points. She also had 11 digs.
• Ricketts added 10 kills, 14.5 points, and led the team in aces with three.
• Sulfridge led the team in assists with 39. She also had 20 digs.
• Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) led the team in blocks with five block assists and two solo blocks.
• Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) had a team-high 21 digs.

Team Comparisons

• Stats were very even in this one, with each team scoring 103 points. Each team had 27 attack errors.
• Wittenberg registered 52 kills on 162 total attacks for a .154 hitting percentage. The Tigers also turned in 52 assists, nine service aces, 74 digs, 18 block assists, 13.0 total blocks, and four solo blocks.
• Calvin landed 51 kills on 164 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .146. The Knights also had 47 assists, 16 service aces, 70 digs, 16 block assists, 10.0 total blocks, and two solo blocks. 

Up Next

Next up, the Tigers will continue play in the NCAC/MIAA Crossover Challenge at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware, Ohio, against Hope on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 12:30 p.m., followed by Albion at 3 p.m.