Tigers Fend Off Challenge From DePauw

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers cleared a significant hurdle toward winning their 20th North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season title since 1992 with a 3-1 victory over visiting DePauw.

The win was Wittenberg's 48th in a row in NCAC regular season play, and it improved the fifth-ranked Tigers to 14-3 overall and 5-0 in the league. DePauw, which has been ranked for part of the season, is now 16-5 overall and 4-1 in the NCAC.

The set scores were 25-19, 25-23, 21-25 and 25-11. The first set featured a wire-to-wire victory for the host Tigers, who jumped out to a 13-9 lead midway through and then mostly traded points the rest of the way. DePauw bounced back in the latter stages of the second set to challenge the host Tigers, tying the match at 23-23 before kills by juniors Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) and Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) gave Wittenberg a 2-0 cushion.

The late burst was clutch for Wittenberg because the visiting Tigers put together a big rally midway the third frame to secure the set win. The momentum didn't hold up, however, as the host Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth set and quickly pulled away.

Seidenstricker led the offense with 13 kills to go along with 17 digs. Sophomore Kendall Farmer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and junior Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) also reached double figures in kills, while Emming added nine. Fultz and Emming each also contributed 15 digs.

Senior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Perry) dished out 38 assists to go along with four kills and 14 digs, and the defense was sparked by the play of senior libero Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) with a career-high 29 digs.

Written By: Ryan Maurer