RICHMOND, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers inched closer to the finish line Wednesday with a 3-0 win at Earlham. The win moved the fifth-ranked Tigers to 29-2 overall and 15-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) heading into the final match of the regular season at Denison at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.
Unlike most NCAC wins this season, this one did not come easily. Much like last year when Earlham snapped the Tigers' then-NCAA Division III record run of 54 straight sets won in a 3-1 loss at Wittenberg, the Quakers gave the 2008 conference champions a tussle in the third set.
After losing the first two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-20, Earlham took control of the third set, pulling out to a 19-13 lead. However, the Tigers rallied to win 12 of the last 15 points to earn a hard-fought 25-22 victory and finish off the 15th straight NCAC sweep of the 2008 campaign.
Senior outside hitter Kathleen Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/St. Ursula) led the Tiger offense with seven kills, while junior setter Erin Slattery (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) dished out a team-best 21 assists. Junior setter Kendall Obreza (Gainesville, Fla./Oak Hall) added 13 assists.
Defensively, junior outside hitter Leslie Clark (Marion, Ohio/Harding) showed the way with 15 digs.