Staff Report

Sophomore outside hitter Iris Anderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Christian Brothers) led the Ohio Wesleyan offense, but the seventh-ranked Wittenberg women’s volleyball team defeated the Bishops in a battle for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference on Thursday in Springfield.

The Tigers defeated the Bishops by scores of 25-18, 25-12, 25-15 to go to 5-0 in conference play. The loss ended Ohio Wesleyan’s winning streak at a school-record 19 matches and moved the Bishops to 3-1 in NCAC competition.

Anderson recorded a pair of kills and junior right-side hitter Shelby Ksiazek (Littleton, Colo./Regis Jesuit) and senior middle blocker Meigan Day (Port Clinton) combined on a block as the Bishops took a 3-1 lead in the first set, and Ohio Wesleyan led, 10-7, after an Anderson kill and a block by Day and Anderson. Wittenberg scored the next 5 points, getting kills from Melissa Emming, Kendall Farmer, and Camila Quinones for a 12-10 lead. A kill by Ksiazek evened the set at 13, and the Bishops were still within 18-17 after a kill by sophomore middle blocker Krysta Iwanek (Delaware/Hayes). The Tigers went on another 5-0 run, with Kara Seidenstricker and Emming contributing kills, and closed out the set with back-to-back blocks, first by Bryanna Jay and Quinones, then by Emming and Farmer.

The Bishops rebounded to take a 5-1 lead in the second set, getting kills from Ksiazek, sophomore outside hitter Brianna La Croix (Woodland Hills, Calif./Sierra Canyon), and Anderson, along with an Anderson ace, along the way. Trailing, 7-3, the Tigers went on an 8-0 run that featured kills by Seidenstricker, Farmer, and Maddie Fischer. Ohio Wesleyan was still within 12-9 after an Iwanek kill, but Wittenberg answered with a 7-0 run that included kills by Fischer and Quinones, and the Tigers scored the final 5 points of the set, with Emming contributing a solo block and a block assist and Kristina Fultz adding a service ace.

Wittenberg scored the first 5 points of the third set, with 4 of them coming on kills by Seidenstricker, and the Tigers extended the lead to 14-5 with a 4-0 run that included kills by Emming, Farmer, and Quinones. Ohio Wesleyan closed to within 19-13 with the help of an Anderson kill and a block by Ksiazek and Day, but the Tigers held off the Bishop rally and closed out the match with kills by Farmer and Fischer.

Anderson led the Bishops with 8 kills, while La Croix finished with 5. Junior setter Shannon Schlater (Englewood/Northmont) collected 11 assists.

Day finished with 5 block assists, and Schlater had a team-high 12 digs.

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OWU Sports Information contributed to this report.