No. 3 Tigers Fall In Regional Final

Grand Rapids, Mich. –In the rematch of the 2017 National Semifinal match, the No. 3 Wittenberg women's volleyball team faced off again against the No. 1 Calvin College Knights in the 2018 NCAA Grand Rapids Regional Final on Saturday night. After the Tigers swept the Knights on their home floor in the National Semifinal match a year ago, Wittenberg returned to Grand Rapids, dropping a hard-fought 3-2 decision (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-25, 16-14) against the Knights. 

Match Breakdown

The Tigers opened up the match by putting down 16 kills on 54 total attempts on their way to a 25-22 win in the first set. Calvin went on to take the second and third sets in a back and forth battle that saw the Tigers outhit the Knights in the second set .147 to .116. Wittenberg kept pace with Calvin in the third set, putting down 14 kills on 60 total attack attempts compared to the Knights 16 on 62 attempts. The Tigers rallied back in the fourth set to overtake Calvin 25-15, holding the Knights to swinging -.085 in the set and forcing 14 errors on 47 attempts. Wittenberg and Calvin exchanged swings in the fifth and final set, matching one another point for point. Even though Wittenberg would finish the final set logging nine kills to Calvin's seven, the Knights narrowly beat out the Tigers with a .094 attacking percentage. 

For the second day in a row, Aubrey Cox paced the Tiger offense logging a team-high .520 attacking percentage, putting down 14 kills on 25 attempts with just one error. Cox also added eight digs and six blocks up front for the Tiger defense. Haley Horner provided 14 kills for the Tigers with a .082 attacking percentage, adding five blocks. Taylor BrownandKennedey Schmidt finished with eight kills apiece for the red and white. Brown would go on to add 14 digs, three blocks and an ace to her total on the night. Providing offense with her defense, Schmidt recorded a team-high 10 blocks. Katie Hiestand would close out the match with nine kills and six blocks for the Tigers. On the receiving end, adding double-digit digs for the Tigers were Madison Manger with 20, Karen Wildemann with 25 and Taylor Yontz with a team-high 34 digs. Wildemann closed out the match with five kills and 46 of Wittenberg's 54 assists, along with providing one block. 

The Thread

?: No. 3 @wittenbergvb vs. No. 1 Calvin
??: 7:00 PM
?: Grand Rapids, Mich.
??: Van Noord Arena
??: https://t.co/tGGaiG1IYC
?: https://t.co/OOKI3DXj00
?: https://t.co/lnAYtzFDmY
?: https://t.co/c8uokY1SpU
? #TigerUp ? pic.twitter.com/QhFrXlLtqa

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 10, 2018

It is about time #TigerUp for @wittenbervb vs. Calvin the Grand Rapids Regional Final!! ? pic.twitter.com/SEYOAAKi15

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 10, 2018

The @wittenbervb faithful are back and ready to cheer on their beloved ?&? #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/bAVNOP56ch

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 10, 2018

Set one of the Grand Rapids Regional Final goes to @wittenbergvb 25-22 #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/rndQJiT4Zf

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 11, 2018

.@wittenbergvb takes the fourth set from Calvin 25-15 #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/BlWBmDgEq0

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 11, 2018

It never gets easier, you just get better. Congrats @wittenbergvb on yet another inspiring season. We can't wait for next year. ????TIGER UP!! pic.twitter.com/UXUFdtYr4U

— Witt Water Polo (@WittWaterPolo) November 11, 2018

Shots from the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament between Wittenberg and Calvin!

? https://t.co/yZ4dEAbRbc pic.twitter.com/Mg7cqhu005

— NCAC (@NCAC) November 11, 2018

From The Bench