Springfield, OH – For the 26th time in program history, the nationally-ranked No. 11 Wittenberg Women's Volleyball team claimed the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title.
Earning a bye into the semifinal round as the tournament's top seed, Wittenberg faced tournament fifth seed Hiram College in their first of two matches of the day. The Tigers took care of business against the Terriers for the second time this season, winning in straight sets, 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-16). Wittenberg returned to the NCAC Championship match for their league-leading 28th appearance, taking on the Big Red from Denison University. The Tigers won their 15th match in straight sets, taking down the Big Red with a commanding, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-21), win over Denison.
Wittenberg's Katie Hiestand collected Tournament MVP honors for the second year in a row, putting down 18 kills on 56 total attempts in two matches on the day with seven errors, hitting .196. After earning First Team All-NCAC honors for the third time in her career, Hiestand added 29 digs and three blocks to her total on the weekend. Joining Hiestand on the All-Tournament Team, Tyler Linkhart collected NCAC All-Tournament Team honors for the second consecutive year. Linkhart put down a team-high 23 kills on 42 attempts for a leading .524 hitting-percentage. Olivia Follick earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, smashing 15 kills on 29 attempts, with just two errors on the day with nine blocks up front. Follick tallied a career and season-high kills in Wittenberg's semifinal win against Hiram, putting down eight kills on 14 total attempts. The Tiger newcomer stepped up at the net with a season and career-high six blocks in the championship match.
In the championship match, Wittenberg posted a .262 hitting-percentage, while holding the Big Red to just a .018 kill marker. Linkhart was flawless in the final match, smashing 14 kills on 23 attempts for .609 hitting-percentage. Wittenberg offered a balanced attack, with contributions from every piece of the line-up. Mack Ricketts poked holes in the Denison defense with four kills on nine attempts while posting 30+ assists for the 22nd match this season. Ricketts would go on to add two service aces while getting in on four block assists at the net. Hannah Schartz and Hiestand tallied five kills apiece for the Tiger attack. Ava Hampton and Ally White posted 13 digs and 10 digs each to keep the Tiger offense alive. White tallied two service aces with Hampton adding one to the Tiger scoring line.
With this win, Wittenberg improves to 23-4 on the season. The Tigers have earned the NCAC automatic qualifying bid into the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. Wittenberg will find out what the rest of the postseason holds during the NCAA selection show on Monday, November 7 at 12:30 pm at the link below.