Box Score
Wittenberg 3, Ohio Wesleyan 0

Sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Peters (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) led a balanced Ohio Wesleyan offense, but Wittenberg assembled late runs in the first and third sets on the way to a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Bishops on Tuesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The Tigers won the match by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 25-18.

Wittenberg built a 10-6 lead in the first set on back-to-back kills from Katie Hiestand, but Ohio Wesleyan came back to take a 13-12 lead with the help of kills from senior right-side hitter Hannah Williams (Columbus/Bishop Ready) and junior outside hitter Eliza Richardson (Lakewood).  Another Richardson kill evened the score at 14, but the visitors answered with a kill from Sarah Hettich and scored the next 3 points after that.  The Bishops rallied to within 20-18, but Wittenberg scored the last 5 points of the set, with Hiestand contributing an ace and Gabi Hancock adding a kill and a set-ending block.

A Hannah Schartz kill gave the Tigers a 13-9 lead in the second set before the Bishops went on a 5-1 run that included a kill and 2 blocks from freshman middle hitter Ava Kutilek (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and a kill and a block by sophomore outside hitter Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin).  With the score tied at 19, Wittenberg took the lead with 4 straight points as Schartz had a kill and a block.  Ohio Wesleyan closed to within 24-23 as Richardson delivered a kill and a block, but a Hettich kill ended the set and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers threatened to pull away in the third set, taking a 15-7 lead before the Bishops pared the deficit to 18-15 behind kills by Murray, Williams, and Kutilek.  Wittenberg countered with a 4-0 run that included a kill and a block from Schartz, and the Tigers got kills from Schartz and Tyler Linkhart to close out the set and the match.

Peters led the Bishops with 7 kills, while Richardson and Murray added 6 apiece.  Sophomore setter Abby Thierauf (Cincinnati/Milford) and freshman setter Olivia Osuna (Orlando, Fla./Phillips) finished with 13 assists apiece.  Kutilek recorded a team-high 5 blocks, and sophomore defensive specialist Neah White (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) had 19 digs.

Box Score