The girls volleyball team had a challenging conference match on Sept. 30, when Kenyon College came to town. The Tigers beat the Lords handily, 3-0. The win improved the Tigers’ record to twelve and three, and they remained perfect in conference play at three and zero.
Junior Kara Seidenstricker led the offense with eight kills, and sophomore Emily Kahlig was right on her heels with seven kills. Senior Kiah Murray led the defense with eighteen digs. The Tigers carried their momentum into their critical match against Dension a few days later.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, the girls volleyball team traveled to Denison for another heated conference battle. They put their 46-game conference winning streak on the line. The game was a little scary after the first four sets, but the Tigers pulled through.
The Tigers won the first two sets of the match, but things got a little rocky after that. The third set was taken by Denison by three points, and the fourth by four points. Wittenberg stormed back in the fifth and final set, winning 15-7. Coach Paco Labrador was pleased with his team’s performance, especially the way they closed the match after losing two sets. He was “happy with [the] ability to evolve throughout the match and finish it with some poised, well-executed plays.”
Seidenstricker led the team with 18 kills, followed by Kahlig, who had nine kills. Kahlig also added 10 blocks to her stat sheet. Sophomore Kendall Farmer also had nine kills, as did junior Melissa Emming. Sophomore Courtney Huck and senior Meghan Vodopich both had big nights as well, posting 22 and 30 assists, respectively. Defensively, Murray led the way with 14 digs, junior Kristina Fultz added 11 and Seidenstricker had 10.
The Tigers extended their NCAC winning streak to 47. Their overall record improved to thirteen and three, remaining undefeated in the conference at four and zero. Labrador said the win was a great boost to their team, as they had lost the previous two matches that went to a fifth set.
