Otterbein Tops Tigers In Season Opener

SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Women's Volleyball opened the 2024 season with a 3-0 loss at the hands of Otterbein on the first day of the Wittenberg Fall Classic.

The win capped a perfect day for the Cardinals, coming shortly after Otterbein dispatched Berea College, also by a 3-0 score. The match against Otterbein was the Tigers' contest of the day. Wittenberg gets right back into action on Saturday with matches against Mount St. Joseph and Berea.

The set scores were 25-16, 25-19, 25-23 in favor of the Cardinals, who enjoyed a six-kill edge in the final statistics. The bigger differential came in the serving department - while both teams committed a similar of service errors, the Cardinals held a commanding 9-1 advantage in service aces.

While Otterbein attacked at a percentage higher than .200 in all three sets, Wittenberg's offense became more effective in each set. In the third frame, the Tigers actually finished with a 16-14 advantage in kills and a .244 attack percentage.

Leading the way with eight kills was Piper Ricketts (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) with eight kills on 27 total attempts, followed closely by Kaili Worcester (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) with seven kills on 27 swings. Freshman setter Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) was solid in her collegiate debut with four kills, six digs, two blocks, and 22 assists, while another freshman, Bryn Wilhelmus (Louisville, KY/Mercy Academy), got the start at the libero position and topped the Tigers with 14 digs.