Tiger Complete Sweep of NCAC Matches With 3-0 Win Over DePauw

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Wittenberg Women's Volleyball completed the regular season unscathed against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition with a 3-0 sweep of visiting DePauw on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.

All three sets were close, but Wittenberg secured the win in scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-19 to wrap up the lone undefeated 7-0 record in the NCAC and pick up its seventh straight victory with two non-conference matches to go in the 2025 regular season. Last year, the Tigers lost to DePauw by the same score. In the series against DePauw that dates back to 1995, Wittenberg leads 23-5.

The victory was even sweeter as it came on Senior Recognition Day as Wittenberg celebrated its six seniors after the match.

Seniors include Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison), a libero who is marketing and communication double major pursuing a minor in sport management; Piper Ricketts (Morrow, OH / Little Miami), an outside hitter who is a marketing and communication double major; Olivia Follick (Vandalia, OH / Butler), a middle blocker who is a biology major with minors in education and marine science; Alana Bartulovic (Cleveland, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin), an outside hitter and double major in sport management and marketing; Madison Horton (New Richmond, OH / New Richmond), a defensive specialist who is majoring in psychology and plans to pursue her master's in sport administration at Wittenberg and join the women's volleyball coaching staff next year to begin her coaching career; and Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty), an outside hitter majoring in exercise science with a minor in psychology.

The team also celebrated student assistant and setting coach Sam Richardson, who was escorted by his setters. He is a finance major who plans to return home to work at Plastic Materials, Inc., a plastic recycling and compounding company.

A victory over Wooster earlier this week guaranteed the Tigers a first-round bye and home-court advantage in the NCAC Tournament, which will take place Nov. 11-15. Wittenberg will have a bye in the quarterfinals, and then the Tigers will play the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 seeded teams on Friday, Nov. 14. John Carroll is second in the conference at 6-1, followed by Ohio Wesleyan at 5-2, and Denison at 4-3.

The win gives Wittenberg an overall record of 16-7, while DePauw drops to 12-12 overall and 3-4 in the NCAC. The NCAC regular season title was Wittenberg's first since 2022 and a conference-best 27th in program history.

Team Leaders

• Leaders in the match were Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) and Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) with nine kills each, while Worcester landed eight.
• Ava Golem (Kirtland, OH / Kirtland) led the team in digs with 14, while White tallied 11.
• O'Malley led the team in points with 11.5, and Worcester had 10. 
• Golem, White, and Ricketts each landed two service aces apiece.
• Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) led the team in assists with 30. She also had four block assists, while O'Malley added three.

Team Comparison

• Team totals for Wittenberg included 39 kills on 117 total attacks for a .231 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 34 assists, eight service aces, 9.0 blocks, and 47 digs.
• DePauw registered 36 kills on 120 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .175. The Tigers from Indiana also added 28 assists, five service aces, 3.0 blocks, and 43 digs.

Up Next
The Tigers will host No. 21 Marietta in a non-conference battle on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook