Wittenberg Sweeps Tri-Match Against Wooster and Mount St. Joseph

With seven straight wins, the Wittenberg Tigers may finally be catching fire. The Tigers completed a 3-win homestand with 3-0 victories over Wooster and Mount St. Joseph Saturday in the HPER Center.

October 21, 2006
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - With seven straight wins, the Wittenberg Tigers may finally be catching fire. The Tigers completed a 3-win homestand with 3-0 victories over Wooster and Mount St. Joseph Saturday in the HPER Center.

The Tigers improved to 25-6 overall and, just as importantly, now stand 13-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference with one weekend of regular season play remaining. Ranked third in the Great Lakes Region and 13th nationally, Wittenberg has a five-match week upcoming, including the final three matches of the NCAC campaign. The finale is a Saturday re-match with nationally ranked Hiram.

In the win over Wooster, the Tigers cruised by scores of 30-27, 30-15, 30-21. The leaders on offense were sophomore Jessica Kimble (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont)and junior Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance), both with 10 kills. Junior Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) and sophomore Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) added seven kills apiece.

Defensively, the Tigers were solid as usual, with the blockers stepping forward. Kimble and junior Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) finished with four blocks each.

Against Mount St. Joseph, the Tigers played one of their finest matches of the 2006 season. Playing against a nationally ranked perennial national powerhouse, Wittenberg made short work of the Mountie Lions by scores of 30-23, 30-18, 30-24.

Defense, the Tigers' calling card in a run to the NCAA Division III semifinals a year ago, was key to the victory. Bell led with 26 digs and sophomore Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) added 25 digs. Kimble had another four blocks.

The offense appeared more in sync that at any other time during the 2006 season, with Williams proving to be close to automatic with 16 kills. Bell added 12 kills.