SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Trailing by two sets, little did anyone in Wittenberg University's Pam Evans Smith Arena know that the Hope Flying Dutch had the homestanding Tigers right where they wanted them.
For the second straight night, Hope rallied from a 2-0 deficit against a top 10 opponent. Hope's rally in the championship match of the Springfield Regional was even more improbable than its win a little more than 24 hours earlier against 10th-ranked Juniata, as the Flying Dutch managed to turn the tables on the fourth-ranked Tigers to secure a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals.
Wittenberg won the first two sets by convincing margins of 25-16 and 25-19 before the teams took a 10-minute break, which had been agreed upon by the coaches prior to the match. The Flying Dutch came out of the locker room renewed, bouncing back for a 25-16 win in the third set, setting up a pair of taut, thrilling frames that eventually went Hope's way, but only by the most narrow of margins.
The fourth set featured multiple lead changes, with Wittenberg pulling out to the early lead at 10-6 and Hope getting the best of things in the middle to take an 18-15 advantage. The Flying Dutch came up big when it mattered most, breaking a 20-20 tie with four kills in the final eight points to secure a 25-23 decision.
In the fifth set, Hope scored the first six points and appeared to have clear sailing before the Tigers rallied back to 7-6. The Flying Dutch managed to hang on from there, however, exchanging point after thrilling point before Tournament MVP Jenna Grasmeyer ended the match with a kill.
Grasmeyer ended all three of Hope's winning sets with a kill, part of a 26-kill performance. She finished the match with 77 attack attempts, more than double any other Hope player.
On the other side of the net, junior Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) led the Tigers with 16 kills, 20 digs and three blocks. Junior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) added 13 kills and 12 digs to join Seidenstricker on the All-Tournament Team.
Also of note, senior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) finished with four kills, 28 assists and eight digs, and senior Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) sparked the defense with 28 digs, in addition to three service aces.
The loss was Wittenberg's third straight in the regional championship round, all by 3-2 margins. The Tigers had played Calvin, the current No. 1-ranked team, in the same round each of the last four years.
In Wittenberg's postseason history, the Tigers are now 6-6 in regional championship matches. Four of the six losses are by 3-2 scores, including two by that margin on the Tigers' home court.
Written By: Ryan Maurer