Volleyball drops 3-1 decision at #12 Wittenberg

By Brandt Marshall

SPRINGFIELD — The Ohio Northern volleyball team fell 3-1 to No. 12 Wittenberg at the Pam Evans Smith Arena on Wednesday night.

The Polar Bears drop to 10-5 overall, while the Tigers improve to 12-3.

Sophomore Erin Wagner (Massillon/Perry) led ONU with 12 kills and hit .545 for the match.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes and nine tie scores. The final tie at 21-all was broken by the Tigers as they scored the final four points of the frame to win 25-21.

The second set was tightly contested early on as the two teams were tied at 5-all before the Tigers pulled ahead to take a 14-9 lead. A service ace from Hannah Irmer (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) got the Polar Bears within four at 14-10 before Wittenberg put the set away with an 11-0 run for the 25-10 victory.

Northern responded well in the third set, breaking a 3-3 tie with a kill from Ava Ehlinger (New Carlisle/Tecumseh) that gave the visitors a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 25-21 win.

The fourth set was tight early on before an 8-0 run gave the Tigers a 13-4 lead. The Polar Bears were able to get within five points twice in the final frame at 18-13 and 21-16 but were unable to complete the comeback as Wittenberg took the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

Wittenberg was led by Tyler Linkhart with a match-high 27 kills.

Sophomore Rachel Jennings (Novi, Mich.) added 23 digs and freshman Caroline Hensley (Loveland/Bishop Fenwick) dished out 26 assists for Northern.

ONU hit .131 for the match with 38 kills and 19 errors on 145 attacks to go with eight aces and four blocks, while the Tigers hit .316 with 67 kills and 19 errors on 152 attempts with three aces and five blocks.

The Polar Bears return to the court on Saturday when they will open OAC action with an 1 p.m. match at Mount Union.