Defense Carries Tigers Past Denison In NCAC Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers continued to play inspired volleyball at just the right time, cruising past visiting Denison 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament quarterfinals.

The win, achieved by convincing set scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-19, moved the Tigers over .500 for the first time since the opening match of the 2023 season at 14-13. As the third seed in the tourney, Wittenberg earned a berth in the semifinals with the win and will take on second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan in a match hosted by DePauw on Friday, November 10.

Denison, the sixth seed in the tournament, closed out the 2023 campaign with a record of 10-18.

The win was Wittenberg's seventh in a row to close the regular season. The Tigers have been close to perfect in that stretch, dropping just two out of 23 sets. It was more of the same against Denison, despite a relatively inefficient offensive performance.

Defense was the key for Wittenberg, starting with outstanding play from sophomore libero Ally White (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison). She contributed 22 digs in the match, including several of the spectacular lunging or diving variety. Freshman Ava Golem (Kirtland, Ohio/Kirtland) also reached double figures in digs with 10.

At the net, freshman Kait Colahan (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion) and senior Tyler Linkhart (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) teamed up for a combined 11 blocks to further frustrate the Big Red. Linkhart also led both teams offensively with 11 kills, followed closely by sophomore Alana Bartulovic (Cleveland, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) with nine, and senior setter Mack Ricketts (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) dished out 27 assists.