SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It wasn't the tournament conclusion the Wittenberg Tigers had in mind after completing a first day sweep, but it would be difficult to complain too loudly considering the level of competition in the Wittenberg Fall Classic.
Day 2 featured a 3-2 loss to eighth-ranked Juniata and a 3-1 win over longtime rival Ohio Northern. The results left the ninth-ranked Tigers with a 7-3 overall record after playing five nationally ranked opponents in the first three weeks of the 2014 season, highlighted by a 3-0 victory over No. 1-ranked defending national champion Calvin on the opening day of the Wittenberg Fall Classic.
Against Juniata, the Tigers struggled to get on track, forcing Head Coach Paco Labrador into a variety of line-up changes. The Eagles won the opening set 25-23 and led 24-21 in the second frame before a stirring rally by Wittenberg to capture a 31-29 win seemed to provide the Tigers with the necessary momentum.
It carried over to the third set with a 25-16 win, but Juniata responded with a 25-21 victory in the fourth and then a tense 15-13 decision in the fifth and final stanza.
The tremendously efficient attack that led to the sweep of Calvin was nowhere to be found against Juniata. Wittenberg attacked at a .135 percentage, which was better statistically than Juniata at .078, but the Eagles had the answers at the right moments, scoring two less points overall in the match but still securing the victory.
Individually, Wittenberg was paced by junior Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) with 18 kills and 18 digs. Junior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) added 15 kills and 14 digs, and senior libero Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) was tops in digs with a career-best 34. Also of note was the play of sophomore setter Courtney Huck (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) off the bench, as she dished out 23 assists, including several key helpers in the aforementioned second set rally.
Against Ohio Northern, the Tigers again struggled out of the gate, needing a first-set rally to take a 25-22 decision before dropping the second frame 25-21. From that point, it was all Wittenberg, as the Tigers closed things by scores of 25-16 and 25-17.
Seidenstricker again was dominant, finishing with 18 kills and 12 digs. Murray was tops in digs with 24, and senior setter Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Perry) bounced back from a sub-par performance against Juniata to finish with totals of seven kills and 27 assists. Also of note was the play of sophomore Kendall Farmer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), who posted back-to-back matches of five blocks off the bench.
The Tigers will finally get some time away from competition, as they will spend a week training for the start of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play. Wittenberg opens the conference slate at Wooster on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Written By: Ryan Maurer