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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers returned to the top of the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) with a convincing 3-0 victory over visiting Hiram, avenging a 3-0 upset road defeat against the Terriers two weeks earlier.
Wittenberg, ranked fourth in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, improved to 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the NCAC. Hiram, which ended the Tigers' record-breaking 67-match NCAC regular season win streak on Sept. 25, dropped to 14-8 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
The two teams were locked in a close match through the first 18 points of the opening set before Wittenberg picked up its game, winning 17 of the last 24 points for a 25-17 win. Starting with a kill by sophomore Jessie Batanian (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) that broke a 16-16 tie, the Tigers ripped off nine of the last 10 points, including the last five on the serve of sophomore Hallie Donathan (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe).
Wittenberg took control from the outset of the second and third sets, cruising to wins by scores of 25-19 and 25-16. In both sets, the Tigers led 23-13 before late Terrier runs narrowed the gap. Wittenberg was not credited with an attack error in a near-flawless second set, pounding out 14 kills in 43 attempts for a .326 attack percentage. In the third set, the Tigers added 15 kills and finished with a .290 attack percentage.
Individually, Wittenberg was paced by junior Christine Simpson (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) with 16 kills and a phenomenal .519 attack percentage. Junior Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) added 11 kills and a .391 attack percentage, in addition to 14 digs. Senior setter Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) dished out 36 assists, while the defense was paced by sophomore libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) with 18 digs and junior Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson) with four blocks.