GRANVILLE, Ohio – For only the third time since 2007, a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponent claimed two sets off the Wittenberg volleyball team on Thursday night. But the Tigers bounced back to a decisive 15-7 fifth set to claim the victory.
The win extends Wittenberg's conference winning streak to 47 matches while improving the team's 2014 record to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in NCAC competition.
Denison had not claimed a set off the Tigers since taking the first frame of an Oct. 18, 2009 match, and last took a contest to five sets on Oct. 6, 2001.
The only other team to win two or more sets against the Tigers since 2007 is perennial contender Hiram College, which swept Wittenberg on Sept. 26, 2010, after going five sets in a Terrier loss in 2009. Hiram remains the only NCAC team to defeat Wittenberg since 1997.
The match opened with two Tiger wins, 25-16 and 25-13, before a swing in momentum as Denison picked up the next two by scores of 25-22 and 25-21. In the fifth set, the Tigers seized the match by winning 15-7.
For the match, junior Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) again led the team with 18 kills on a .326 attack percentage, followed by sophomore Emily Kahlig (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater) who registered nine kills on 20 swings for a .350 attack percentage and added 10 blocks to register among the most blocks in a single match since the format changed to 25 points in 2008.
Sophomore Kendall Farmer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) also had an impressive night on the attack, slamming nine kills with only two errors in 16 attempts for a .438 attack percentage to go with six blocks, a total matched by Seidenstricker.
Junior Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) also took home nine kills while posting three blocks. She and the other hitters benefitted from 22 assists by sophomore Courtney Huck (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) and 30 from senior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry).
Defensively, senior Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Tigers with 14 digs, followed by 11 from junior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) and 10 by Seidenstricker.
The Tigers gear up for what could one of their stiffest tests of the NCAC season as they welcome 14-4 DePauw to town on Tuesday, Oct. 7, for a 7 p.m. match.
John Strawn '07