Tigers Take Down Defending National Champion Hope

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Ten months earlier on the same court, the Wittenberg Tigers had everything going their way - a raucous crowd cheering on their every move and a 2-0 lead on visiting Hope College in the final match of a NCAA Division III Tournament regional. Things went south from that point and Hope went on to make history by winning the program's first-ever national championship.

On the opening night of the 2015 Wittenberg Fall Classic, the Tigers exacted a measure of revenge with a stirring 3-1 victory in front of more than 1,200 fans. More importantly, Wittenberg may have found out some important things about the current edition of the team after a third-set rally that was key to the victory.

The win pushed seventh-ranked Wittenberg to 8-1 on the 2015 season, while Hope dropped to 7-3 after splitting a pair of matches on Day 1 of the Fall Classic. Earlier in the day, the Flying Dutch defeated Otterbein 3-0.

Wittenberg opened the match with a 25-20 first-set victory, but Hope turned the tables in the second set by the same score. After the Tigers jumped out to an 8-3 lead to start the third frame, the Flying Dutch reeled off seven straight points to take the advantage. Hope appeared to be in complete control at 24-19 in the third set, before Wittenberg staged a stunning rally to turn the match back their way.

The Tigers won four points on the serve of senior Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) to tie the set, and from there the two nationally ranked rivals battled back and forth until junior Courtney Huck (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) stepped up to serve. After dishing out an assist to Emming to tie the set at 30-30, Huck's serves led to a kill by sophomore Maddie Fischer (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) and a Hope attack error that led the crowd to erupt.

Even armed with momentum from the third set, Wittenberg was forced to rally again in the fourth frame, this time finishing with a flourish after Hope led 21-17. Senior Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) served out seven points to give the Tigers command, setting up a tremendous final point that ended with a kill from junior Emily Kahlig (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater).

Seidenstricker led Wittenberg's offense with 18 kills, while Fischer added 11 kills and Emming chipped in with 10. Three Tigers finished in double figures in assists, led by Huck with 23, and senior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) topped the Tigers defensively with 24 digs. Also of note was the play of senior Bryanna Jay (Girard, Ohio/Girard) contributed seven blocks.

Written By: Ryan Maurer