Tigers Wrap Up Regular Season With a Win
GRANVILLE, OH – Wittenberg Women's Volleyball wrapped up its season with a road kill, coasting to a 3-1 victory over Ohio Northern on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Livingston Gymnasium.
Despite a small stumble in the second set, the Tigers put on a fiery offensive display, as well as key blocks defensively, en route to the non-conference victory in four sets, 25-14, 23-25, 25-18, and 25-9. Wittenberg outhit the Polar Bears .262 to .047. However, in set two, Ohio Northern had the slight upper hand at .233 to .222. In the final set, Witt turned in a hitting percentage of .333 with 11 kills on 24 total attacks. The Tigers also had 18 blocks to just six for Ohio Northern.
It was the ninth win in a row for the Tigers, now 18-7 overall. Ohio Northern drops to 11-17 with one match left to play in the regular season.
On a hot streak heading into the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament, the Tigers will have a bye in the quarterfinals and then play the winner of the match between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeded teams at 7:30 p.m. 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
- Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy) turned in a brilliant match, leading the team in kills, blocks, and points. She tallied 15 kills, five block assists, and 17.5 points.
- Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) registered 11 kills, four block assists, and 13 points, while Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) added nine kills, 14 digs, and 10.5 points. Madelyn Luers (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) also had a good match with nine kills, four block assists, and 12 points.
- Ally White (Harrison, OH / Harrison) again led the defense with a team-high 18 digs, and she and Piper Ricketts (Morrow, OH / Little Miami) each had three service aces in the match.
- Ava Golem (Kirtland, OH / Kirtland) added 11 digs.
- Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) led the team in assists with 50. She also had seven digs and two block assists.
Team Comparison
- Team totals for Wittenberg included 56 kills on 145 total attacks for a .262 hitting percentage. The Tigers also had 53 assists, eight service aces, 18 blocks, and 72 digs.
- Ohio Northern registered 37 kills on 150 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .047. The Polar Bears also added 33 assists, five service aces, six blocks, and 58 digs.
Up Next
The Tigers will play the winner of the match between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeded teams in the NCAC Tournament semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex. The NCAC Tournament championship match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15, also at Wittenberg.
Written By: Cindy Holbrook