Women’s Volleyball Takes Down No. 24 Marietta, 3-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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16 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 1 |
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25 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
#24 Marietta
| Game Statistics | #24 Marietta | Wittenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .199 | .232 |
| Blocks | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| Digs | 60 | 69 |
| Aces | 5 | 6 |
SPRINGFIELD, OH – It's eight in a row for Wittenberg's women's volleyball team after taking down another team ranked in the top 25 in Marietta, 3-1, on Wednesday night, Nov. 5, at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex. The Tigers knocked off both Juniata and Otterbein, also ranked in the top 25 at the time, earlier in the season.
On this night, it was a battle between two teams that are No. 1 in their respective conferences: Wittenberg, in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), and Marietta, in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The Pioneers are also ranked No. 24 in the nation in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association/Taraflex Top-25 poll. However, those stats didn't seem to bother the Tigers, who took it all in stride and captured the win in four sets, 25-16, 20-25, 25-23, and 25-19.
Things were back and forth in set one, but Witt finally got the upper hand after a 12-12 tie, going on a 13-4 run for the win. In set two, Marietta led from start to finish as the Tigers couldn't get their offense going. Game three didn't start well for Witt either, as Marietta jumped out to a 9-2 lead; however, the offense finally returned to tie things at 10-all. It was again a nip-and-tuck battle until a few key defensive plays put the Tigers on top. After a 3-3 tie in the final set, Witt went on a 9-4 run to grab the 12-7 lead and kept the Pioneers in check for the overall victory. The Tigers fell to Marietta, 3-2, last season, but with the win, they are now 12-12 against them in the overall series that began in 1979. Marietta drops to 16-7 overall with the loss.
The win gives Wittenberg an overall record of 17-7 with one non-conference match remaining before going into NCAC tournament play. The Tigers will have a bye in the quarterfinals of the tournament, then 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 NCAC regular season title was Wittenberg's first since 2022 and a conference-best 27th in program history.
Team Leaders
- Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) led the team in kills with 14, Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) added 12, and Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) had 11.
- Worcester tallied 18 points, O'Malley had 14, and Colahan added 12.5.
- Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) had a team-high 23 digs and two service aces. Worcester added 12.
- Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) led the team in assists with 40. She also had two service aces.
- Madelyn Luers (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) led the team in blocks with four.
Team Comparison
- Team totals for Wittenberg included 51 kills on 142 total attacks for a .232 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 45 assists, six service aces, 10.0 blocks, and 69 digs.
- Marietta registered 51 kills on 156 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .199. The Pioneers also added 47 assists, five service aces, 2.0 blocks, and 60 digs.
Up Next
The Tigers will travel to Ohio Northern in a non-conference battle on Saturday, Nov. 8, at noon.
Written By: Cindy Holbrook