DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Wittenberg Tigers criss-crossed the eastern half of the United States during their first-ever Spring Break as an intercollegiate athletics program, and after a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Loras College the Tigers were forced to settle for a 4-4 road trip.

The adventure started with a 4-1 record over three days in New York, followed by a return to Ohio for a 3-1 loss to 10th-ranked Stevenson in a match played at Mount St. Joseph. The final two matches were against Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) rivals, resulting in a 3-0 loss against North Central and the aforementioned defeat against Loras.

Wittenberg's overall record fell to 12-8, including a mark of 2-6 in the league. Loras improved to 7-11 overall and 2-7 in the MCVL.

After dropping the opening set 29-27 on Friday at North Central, Wittenberg got off to a better start against Loras by winning the first set by the same margin. The Duhawks rallied in the second set to win 25-20, and Wittenberg responded with a 25-22 decision in the third frame. Loras evened the score with a 25-16 win in the fourth set, and the Duhawks then heated up at just the right time, pulling away from Wittenberg in the final frame to score five of the last seven points in a 15-11 victory.

A trio of Tigers reached double figures offensively, led by freshman Ashton Sellers (Westerville, Ohio/Central) with 15 kills. Freshman Isaiah Brock (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) was next with 13 kills, while freshman Dylan Kolovitz (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) contributed 10 kills. Freshman Ross Russell (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) handed out 47 assists on Wittenberg's 53 kills.

Defensively, Russell led with eight digs and the freshman trio of Justin Luby (Akron, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), Nathan Matthews (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) and Drew Jenkins (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) added seven digs apiece. Sellers led in blocks with three.

Written By: Ryan Maurer