Grand Rapids, MI -- In a battle of the Great Lakes Region heavy hitters, the Wittenberg women's volleyball team battled the Calvin Knights in round two of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Tigers suffered the 3-1 [19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-27], as the two sides refused to give more than a point in either direction through the early going. The Tigers close out their 2021 campaign with a 22-9 overall record, which included their 26th NCAA Tournament appearance and 25 NCAC Tournament Title.
Senior Katie Hiestand refused to go out without a fight, posting a season-high 22 kills to go along with her season-high .475 hitting percentage, coming on 40 swings and just three errors. Hiestand capped off her Tiger career with one final double-double, recording 10 digs to go along with her 22 kills. Sophomore Tyler Linkhart put down 16 kills on 41 swings, compiling a .268 hitting percentage. Wittenberg put together a .277 kill percentage on the evening, as the Tigers put together better offensive sets in both the second and fourth sets of the match. Mack Ricketts tallied 50 of Wittenberg's 56 assists on the evening, adding six digs and getting up on two blocks at the net. Gabi Hancock was a force on the defensive end coming up with four blocks, adding to her four kills. Dakota White tallied 26 digs to cap of her NCAC Libero of the Year and AVCA All-District season.