Tigers Remain Unbeaten in NCAC Play With Win Over John Carroll

SPRINGFIELD, OH – In a battle of unbeatens, Wittenberg came out the victor. 

The women's volleyball team hosted league newcomers John Carroll in a match in which both teams came in undefeated in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play. With the solid 3-0 victory, the Tigers take sole possession of first place at 4-0 with three league matches to go.

Wittenberg was tested a few times early on but kept the lead to capture the victory in three straight sets in scores of 25-20, 25-18, and 25-10 on Tuesday evening, Oct. 21, at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

Coming off a big non-conference win over Otterbein, ranked No. 21, the Tigers claimed their fourth win in a row to improve to 13-7 overall and 6-1 at home. The Blue Streaks, who fell to 15-8 overall, came into the contest having won eight of their last nine matches, four of which were conference wins. They now fall into a second-place tie in the NCAC with Ohio Wesleyan, both with one league loss. In the series against John Carroll, Wittenberg is 9-3 overall, with their first meeting coming in 1992 and their most recent meeting being in 2019, which resulted in a 3-1 victory.

It was nip and tuck most of the first set until the Tigers managed to grab a 14-9 advantage and hold on for the eventual win, in the process overcoming some late-set errors. After trailing 6-1 in the early going of set two, Wittenberg launched a comeback to take a 7-6 lead and never looked back, even after a few threats. The Tigers scored the first point in the third and took a commanding lead on offense behind key blocks and kills to easily post the win and overall victory.

For the match, the Tigers outhit the Blue Streaks by a decisive .299 to .098 margin.

Team Leaders

• Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) and Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) had a big night for the Tigers offensively with 15 and 13 kills, respectively. Worcester had 16 points, while Colahan tallied 13. Clare O'Malley  (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) added eight kills, 10 points and two block assists, while Madelyn Luers (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) had six kills, 8.5 points, and two solo blocks.
• Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) had a team-high 19 digs to lead the defense, while Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) and Worcester also hit double digits with 12 and 11 each. Piper Ricketts (Morrow, OH / Little Miami) had eight.
• Sulfridge led the team in assists with 37 and led the team in block assists with three. She and Ava Golem(Kirtland, OH / Kirtland) each added two service aces to lead the team.
• O'Malley, Sulfridge, and Luers had three blocks each.

Team Comparison

• Team totals for Wittenberg included 45 kills on 117 total attacks for a .299 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 44 assists, five service aces, six blocks, and 63 digs. 
• John Carroll registered 27 kills on 122 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .098. The Blue Streaks also added 25 assists, three service aces, one block, and 45 digs.

Up Next

The Tigers will go on the road to take on Ohio Wesleyan in another NCAC matchup on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook