Grand Rapids, MI – The No. 9 Wittenberg University Women's Volleyball team faced-off against No. 20 Hope College in the opening round the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Tigers battled point-for-point with Hope, falling to the Flying Dutch, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-23). This was the fifth time Wittenberg and Hope have squared-off in the NCAA Tournament and the fist time the two programs have met in the first round. Wittenberg still holds a 3-2 lead in the postseason series against the Flying Dutch.
The Tiger attack put together a .170 hitting percentage on the afternoon, landing 34 kills on 112 total attacks and 15 errors. First Team All-NCAC selection Tyler Linkhart led the Wittenberg attack with 12 kills on 30 swings and just one error, recording a .367 hitting percentage. The senior duo of Katie Hiestand and Hannah Schartz logged eight kills each and each tallying a block assist. Hiestand would also added a team-high 11 digs to her credit with one assist. Coming off her first All-NCAC selection, Mack Ricketts accounted for 27 of Wittenberg's 33 assists on the day. Ricketts would also tally with 2 of 3 service aces, 10 digs and two block assists.
"We're always excited to get to the NCAA Tournament every year, that's our goal every year to make a good run. Disappointed with how our finish was but really excited with how our future looks," said Head Coach Evelyn Miller.
Wittenberg fell in the first round for just the seventh time in program history. The Tigers hold an NCAA first round record of 17-7.
Wittenberg earned their 27th bid into the NCAA Women's Volleyball tournament, after clinching the program's 26th North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title. The Tigers wrap up the season with an overall record of 24-4 and an unblemished conference record of 7-0.