Tigers Toppled By NCAA Division II No. 9 Ranked Indianapolis

Meghan Vodopich dished out a team-high 20 assists in a 3-1 setback at the University of Indianapolis. File Photo | Erin Pence
Meghan Vodopich dished out a team-high 20 assists in a 3-1 setback at the University of Indianapolis. File Photo | Erin Pence

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Wittenberg volleyball team stepped outside of NCAA Division III for a day, falling to the University of Indianapolis 3-1.

The Tigers, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III, dropped to 11-3 overall on the 2012 season. Indianapolis, ranked ninth in NCAA Division II, improved to 13-2. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

The match was dead even after two sets after Indianapolis won the opener 25-19 and Wittenberg squared things with a 25-22 victory. That's when Indianapolis pulled away, pounding 28 kills against just eight errors over the final two sets, won by scores of 25-13 and 25-17.

For Wittenberg, senior Jessica Batanian (Sylvania, Ohio/Notre Dame) was the offensive catalyst with 13 kills to go along with a pair of solo blocks. Freshman Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) added 12 kills, seven digs and two blocks.

The team leader in assists was sophomore Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Perry) with 20, while senior Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) paced both teams with 18 digs.