Heidelberg Defeats RIT in NCAA Division III Regional Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Heidelberg Student Princes made the most of their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament, capturing a 3-1 win over Rochester Institute of Technology in a quarterfinal match of the Great Lakes Regional at Wittenberg University.

Heidelberg, runner-up in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and a Pool C selection into the competition, improved to 27-10 overall and earned itself a date with the No. 1 ranked host team, Wittenberg, in a regional semifinal match slated for 7 p.m. Friday, also on the Tigers' home HPER Center floor. RIT, champion of the Empire 8 Conference, bowed out of the postseason with a mark of 31-11 on the campaign after the 30-22, 30-22, 21-30, 30-18 decision.

Statistically, this match was a very even match-up, as neither team attacked for a particularly high percentage and categories such as digs and team blocks were very even. The difference was that the Student Princes made early runs in the three of the four games and held on tight to the leads. Similarly, RIT got up early and pretty much cruised to a Game 3 win.

Individually, Heidelberg was paced offensively by Laurie Patrick, who contributed 15 kills, and Emily Hurlburt with 12 kills and a respectable .258 attack percentage. Morgan Magers had a match-high 42 assists and also added seven kills in 24 attempts. The defense was well-rounded with five different players reaching double figures in digs, led by Brittany Donelan with 24.

RIT put three players in double figures in kills, led by Shea Haney with 13, while Nichole Boxer was solid with 40 assists. The defense included five players in double figures in digs, led by Kristan Hernandez with 27, while Victoria Petko was credited with a match-high five blocks.

Photo By: Robert Gantt