Ada, OH – The Wittenberg women's volleyball team traveled to Ohio Northern University over the weekend for the Ohio Northern Invitational. Over the two-day stretch, the Tigers facedoff against Muskingum University on Friday night, before taking on host Ohio Northern and Mount St. Joseph on Saturday afternoon.

Wittenberg suffered back-to-back five set losses to start the weekend. First, falling to upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference foe Muskingum [24-26, 25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 13-15] then dropping their first match on Saturday to Ohio Northern [26-28, 25-13, 25-19, 19-25, 8-15]. Wittenberg dropped their third five set match of the weekend, falling to the Lions of Mount St. Joseph [26-24, 23-25, 23-25, 25-14, 13-15].

Katie Hiestand led the Tiger attack on Friday night with 17 kills coming on 33 total attacks, adding 18 digs and three services aces against the Muskies. Sarah Hettich and Tyler Linkhart each added 14 kills of their own in the five-set thriller. Hettich- posted a .542 attacking percentage, with just one error on 24 total attacks, adding two blocks. Hannah Schartz provided double-digit kills for the Tigers with 10 of her own on 34 swings, adding nine digs and two aces. Mack Ricketts facilitated the Wittenberg offense with 39 assists through five sets. Dakota White provided 26 digs and six assists.  

It was another five set thriller to start day two in Ada, as the four Tigers each posted double-digit kills against the Polar Bears. Hettich led the way with a team-high .375 kill marker, putting down 11 kills on 24 swings with just two errors, in the Tiger's second consecutive five set match. Linkhart posted 16 kills on 50 attack attempts, adding eight digs and two aces. Hiestand and Schartz provided 14 and 11 kills apiece to keep the Tiger offense moving. Ricketts provided 44 assists and 15 digs, along with six service aces for the Red and White.

It was the usual cast of characters providing double-digit kills for the Tiger offense against the Lions in the third match of the weekend. Gabi Hancock stepped up and provided 11 kills on 21 swings for a .476 hitting marker, adding six blocks up front. Hettich continued to be consistent for the Tigers attack, providing 16 kills on 22 attacks and just two errors for a team-high .636 hitting percentage. Ricketts provided 50 assists, while White added 32 digs for the Red and White.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to action at home on Tuesday, Sept. 7 hosting the Marietta College Pioneers. First serve is set for 7:00 PM from Pam Evans Smith Arena.