Tigers Round Out Fall Classic With Win Over Mount St. Joseph

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg volleyball team put the finishing touches on a busy weekend with a 3-1 win over Mount St. Joseph in the final match of the Wittenberg Fall Classic.

Nine teams played 17 matches over the course of two days in Pam Evans Smith Arena. When the dust had settled, the Tigers had split their four matches, defeating Hope and Mount St. Joseph by matching 3-1 scores but losing to No. 1 Washington University and No. 3 Calvin in between.

Ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Tigers started strong against Mount St. Joseph, winning 25-11 in the opening set. But in the second set, Wittenberg was forced to rally before pulling out a 25-22 win. There was no rally in the third set, however, as Mount St. Joseph won 25-17, but the Tigers bounced back in the fourth to claim a 25-14 win.

Junior Andrea Behling (Columbus, Ind./North) led the way for Wittenberg with 12 kills, two assists and five blocks. She was backed offensively by freshman Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) with 11 kills and seven digs, while senior Jessica Batanian (Sylvania, Ohio/Notre Dame) finished with eight kills and nine digs.

Rounding things out statistically, the setting duo of seniors Jordan Mungovan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) and Hallie Donathan (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) split 36 assists right down the middle, and senior libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) was the leader in digs with 31.

The Tigers, now 8-2 on the season, now move into North Coast Athletic Conference play, starting with a road trip to Denison at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19.