Women’s Volleyball Earns Split on the Day
BLOOMINGTON, IL – Again facing some tough competition on the road, Wittenberg's women's volleyball team earned a split on the day in the Illinois Wesleyan Tournament that took place at the Shirk Center on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Wittenberg took Coe College to five sets and fell, 3-2, in an early match in scores of 16-25, 25-18, 21-25, 26-24, and 18-16 then came right back and defeated Rose-Hulman swiftly in three-straight sets for the 3-0 win in scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-17. With the split, the Tigers go to 6-6 on the season.
Junior Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) stepped to the forefront in the tournament, leading the team in kills for both Saturday matches with 13 and 11, respectively. She also had a team-high 15 points against Rose-Hulman and tied for the lead in points vs. Coe with 14.
Both Coe and Rose-Hulman, along with Wittenberg, received top 25 votes in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll. Coe improved to 9-2 overall, while Rose-Hulman dropped to 9-4 on the season.
Several Tigers had big stats despite the loss to Coe, including Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) and Alana Bartulovic (Cleveland, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) in the kill department, each tallying 11 kills. Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) added nine. Worcester and Colahan each registered 14 points, while O'Malley added 12.
In sets three and four against Coe, there were 10 and 17 ties, respectively, and eight in game five. Set four also saw nine lead changes.
Against Rose-Hulman, the Tigers outhit the Engineers, .267 to .160 and led in all the stats to secure the victory.
Team Leaders vs. Coe
- Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) had a team-high 27 digs, while Ava Golem (Kirtland, OH / Kirtland) added 17.
- Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) led the team in assists with 43.
- Bartulovic added 11 points for the Tigers, and O'Malley led the team in blocks with six block assists.
Team Comparison vs. Coe
- Points were close with Wittenberg outscoring Coe, 108-106.
- Wittenberg registered 60 kills on 167 total attacks for a .246 hitting percentage. The Tigers also turned in 55 assists, six service aces, 81 digs, and 10.0 total blocks with 20 block assists.
- Coe landed 64 kills on 180 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .211 with 26 attack errors. The Kohawks also had 57 assists, 11 service aces, 78 digs, and 5.0 total blocks with 10 block assists.
Team Leaders vs. Rose-Hulman
- Worcester and O'Malley each tallied eight kills.
- White led the team in digs with 18; Sulfridge added 10.
- Sulfridge led the team in assists with 36 and landed a team-high two service aces.
- Colahan led the team with six blocks.
Team Comparison vs. Rose-Hulman
- Wittenberg had 45 kills on 116 total attacks for a .267 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 42 assists, five service aces, 57 digs, and 14 block assists.
- Rose-Hulman had 35 kills on 119 total attacks for a .160 hitting percentage. The Fightin' Engineers also picked up 34 assists, three service aces, 49 digs, and 10 block assists.
Up Next
The Tigers will be on the road again at Denison for their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.
Written By: Cindy Holbrook