Tiger Women's Volleyball Bounces Back On Day 2 Of Fall Classic

SPRINGFIELD, OH - Trailing 23-16 in the second set against nationally ranked Mount St. Joseph, Wittenberg Women's Volleyball needed a spark. The Tigers got it, starting with a block and continuing with five kills over the next six points. With a suddenly potent offense putting pressure on the Lions, Wittenberg finished off the rally by winning the second set and eventually the match by a 3-2 margin.

After a short rest, the Tigers picked up where they left off in their final match of the weekend by cruising to a 3-0 win over Berea. Wittenberg's lone loss of the weekend came in the season opener on Friday against Otterbein, which stormed throught the Wittenberg Fall Classic without dropping a set against Berea, Wittenberg, and Illinois Wesleyan.

The set scores against Mount St. Joseph were 17-25, 26-24, 27-25, 12-25, 15-9. Freshman setter Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH / Southeastern) found her groove, piling up 41 assists to go along with two service aces and 10 digs. Her favorite target was freshman Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH / St. Joseph's Academy), who pounded 15 kills on 31 swings for a .355 attack percentage to go along with four blocks.

Kendall Black (Defiance, OH / Defiance) finished with 11 kills and three blocks, and Piper Ricketts (Morrow, OH / Little Miami) added nine kills. Freshman libero Bryn Wilhelmus (Louisville, KY / Mercy Academy) led four players in double figures for digs with 16.

The momentum was obvious against Berea as Sulfridge dished out 23 assists and Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH / Olentangy Liberty) found her stride offensively with 11 kills. O'Malley added seven kills, and Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH /Vermilion) came up big as well, recording six kills in 12 swings without an error, in addition to a team-high four blocks. Set scores against Berea 25-19, 25-11, 25-22 as Wittenberg limited their opponent to just 22 kills in 98 attempts for a meager .031 attack percentage.

Next up for Wittenberg is a road trip to Michigan for matches against some traditional regional rivals: Calvin, Hope, and Albion. The matches will be played at Calvin College as part of the NCAC/MIAA Crossover.