Tigers stun Captains in Set 3, sweep to first title

Box Score No. 5 Wittenberg showed its resolve in fending off four set points in Set 3 and won a war of attrition to hoist its first national championship trophy with a sweep over No. 6 Christopher Newport.

Neither team had ever been in a title match, but no one could tell by the level of play. The teams settled in early and the slightest hiccups were seized upon by the first-time champions.

Wittenberg became the 10th school to win the Walnut and Bronze trophy and the third first-time champion in the past four years (Calvin 2010, Emory 2008). And Wittenberg won it with flair – the Tigers didn’t drop a set in their three matches this weekend. In its season-ending 12-match winning streak, Wittenberg (37-3) won 10 in straight sets.

Set 1: All things considered, the two teams may still be playing this set if not for the Wittenberg service pressure late. A mini run on Third Team All-America libero Christina Gilene’s serves led to a 23-18 Tigers cushion, and Wittenberg managed a sideout and a kill by Third Team All-America outside Kimmie Dyer to put the set away, 25-21.

Take those Christopher Newport (38-5) late, iffy receives away, and there was not much separating the two teams. The defenses played up to their reputations, and the offensive tempo was very quick and crisp when in system. It didn’t take long for the teams to settle in for their first championship match.

Set 2: Wittenberg forced a timeout four points into the set on Gilene’s serves. The score was 5-0 before the Captains sided out. That’s no fluke. All teams serve to zones or players. Wittenberg does that with a mixture of mustard and finesse like few teams do. It’s a weapon most teams don’t feature.

Christopher Newport never regained the lead in the set although Wittenberg head coach Paco Labrador was out of timeouts with a 19-16 lead and the Captains got within one at 19-18. Head coach Lindsay Birch used the last Captain timeout at 12-7 after another funky serve-receive run, so the players were on their own for the last third of the set. Labrador used a little gamesmanship timeout after a double was called with a 24-21 lead. He talked with the R2 for about 20 seconds, and the Tigers responded with a kill and the set, 25-21. Even when they’re out of timeouts, good coaches find ways to give their teams mental breaks.

The Tigers kept up the offensive pace in the set, running quicks to the middle and spreading it to the antennas. The Wittenberg setters, junior Hallie Donathan and freshman Meghan Vodopich, created a great tempo.

A little momentum switch in the middle of the set was stymied by a chicken-wing, excuse-me dig by Wittenberg senior outside Hannah Riley that resulted in a Tiger kill.

A combination of Christopher Newport passing and maybe Wittenberg blocking kept the Captains junior Third Team All-America middle Bailey Jensen out of the flow. If Second Team All-America setter Jessie Heavenrich couldn’t find her, no one could. But that’s a big part of the Captain offense out of the equation. Jensen had fewer than 10 swings through the first two sets.

Set 3: Jensen got involved a bit more, and the Captains scored three straight after a 16-16 tie to create some separation. Kills by senior middle Chelsea McClure, Heavenrich and tonight’s top option, junior outside Cory Harris, forced the last Wittenberg timeout with that three-point lead. Christopher Newport eventually stretched it out to set point at 24-20.

Wittenberg didn’t mail it in. A double by Heavenrich, an attack error by Captain junior all-region opposite Christie Fellows and a kill by Tiger senior opposite Catherine Farny got it to 24-23. A net violation on a double block sent it to a deuce game.

The Captains fended off one match point on a kill by Jensen after an amazing dig by junior outside Kara Elder on an attack by Wittenberg Second Team All-America middle Katie Sumner. Yet another Jensen kill foiled match point number two.

But a Captain service error and a booming kill by Dyer, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, set up match point number three at 27-26.

Riley, of self-preservation, chicken-wing dig fame already, came up with another incredible effort as the lone player patrolling the Tiger back line. Riley covered at least 8 feet to her right in order to get to the ball as she took one step and laid out with a one-armed, sprawling attempt. Not only did Riley pop up the ball, but she sent it over the net. After a digs on the overpass, Vodopich shot her set to senior opposite Christine Simpson for her match-high 13th kill, which went to the back-right corner of the Christopher Newport court. Set point. Match point. Dejection over there. Exuberance over here. Good stuff.

Wittenberg edged Christopher Newport to win the hitting battle .250 to .230 while the Tigers held a 51-42 advantage in kills in the well-played match.

Simpson went 13-0-23 to earn her way onto the All-Tournament team. MVP Dyer had 12 kills and 11 digs. All-Tournament honoree Gilene had a match-high 21 digs and two aces. Sumner added eight kills and three blocks. Riley ended with six kills and 18 digs. Donathan and Vodopich had 22 and 20 assists, respectively. Donathon added three dump kills.

Heavenrich led the Christopher Newport offense with 34 assists to go along with 14 digs and three kills. Fellows had a team-best 10 kills, followed by Harris’s eight kills and 10 digs. Junior All-America libero Abby Hogge led Christopher Newport with 19 digs, many of which were not routine. Hogge was later named to the All-Tournament team. McClure and freshman opposite Jessie Kolden tallied seven kills apiece. Jensen, an All-Tournament selection, was limited to six kills on 19 attempts to go along with her usual six blocks. Jensen had 29 swings against Carthage and 32 in the Cortland match at this year’s Elite 8.

Carthage senior middle Cindy Cavanagh and Eastern senior outside Courtney Reinhold rounded out the All-Tournament team.

-Ricky Nelson