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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers had to dig deep, responding to the challenges posed by Calvin and Alma for a pair of victories on Day 1 of the 2009 Border Battle, hosted by Wittenberg.
The Tigers were one of three teams to go 2-0 on Day 1, joining Ohio Northern and Hope. The two wins by Hope, however, were the only ones registered by the Michigan side of the Border Battle, which includes Edison Community College from nearby Piqua, Ohio.
Against Calvin, the 10th ranked team in the nation, Wittenberg was pushed into a corner after winning the opening set 25-20. Calvin responded with set victories by scores of 25-22 and 25-19 before a players-only huddle and some lineup adjustments paid dividends for the Tigers. Wittenberg, ranked 12th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, cruised in Set 4 25-14 and then jumped out to a six-point lead midway through the final set before putting the Knights away 15-11 for a narrow 3-2 victory.
Wittenberg was paced offensively by sophomore outside hitter Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) with 12 kills to go along with her 11 digs and senior middle hitter Kate Snead (Westerville, Ohio/North) with seven kills to go along with her five blocks. The defense was paced statistically by senior libero Leslie Clark (Marion, Ohio/Harding) with 13 digs.
The second match of the day started off even better for the Tigers as they ran out to a 25-14 win in the opening set. Alma rallied multiple times in the second set to claim a 26-24 win, but Wittenberg got things back in gear in the final two sets by scores of 25-13 and 25-19 for a 3-1 victory.
Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Riley (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) gave Wittenberg a big lift early in the Calvin match, and she wound up as the offensive leader against Alma with 11 kills. Also making significant contributions were junior right-side hitter Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Granville) with nine kills and six blocks, Clark with 15 digs and Snead with seven blocks.
Wittenberg returns to action Saturday at noon and 4 p.m. for matches against Edison Community College and eighth-ranked Hope.