CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tiger volleyball players figure to sleep well, maybe even a little later than usual on Sunday, after winning three matches by 3-1 scores at Mount St. Joseph.
The wins - over Millikin, Mount St. Joseph and Thiel in a six-hour span - moved the fourth-ranked Tigers to 4-0 on the young season. The victory trifecta came a week after Wittenberg opened the season with a 3-1 win over Cedarville at home.
The day's first match was a 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-18 win over Millikin. Senior middle hitter Jessica Kimble (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont) and junior middle hitterKate Snead (Westerville, Ohio/South) shared offensive star status, pounding out 13 kills each while hitting .462 and .550 respectively. Defensively, Kimble led with five blocks, ably backed by junior libero Sara Heider (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont)with 20 digs.
A short time later Wittenberg tackled the host team by scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-27, 25-18. Junior outside hitter Katherine Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) led a balanced attack with 11 kills. Senior right-side hitter Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) added 10 kills, Snead finished with 10 kills and Kimble chipped in with nine kills. Heider led the defense with 27 digs.
Rounding things out, the Tigers topped Thiel by scores of 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19. Head Coach Paco Labrador made use of most of his expansive bench in the match, so few stood out in the final statistics. The offense featured Snead with 10 kills, sophomore outside hitter Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) with seven kills and senior outside hitter Kathleen Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/St. Ursula)rounded things out with five kills.
Wittenberg returns to action at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at home against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Kenyon.