Springfield, OH - The Wittenberg men's volleyball team returned to Pam Evans Smith Arena on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Terriers from Hiram College 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-17). This was the first match of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action, as the Tigers look to defend their 2019 regular-season title.  Wittenberg made quick work of the Terriers, recording a .318 kill marker as a team, putting down 47 kills on 88 total attack attempts. For the second time this season, Jackson Tyler tallied a career-high 20 kills, doing so in three sets for the first time in his time with the Red and White. Tyler recorded a .361 hitting clip on the afternoon, adding four digs to his total on the afternoon. Noah Wissel facilitated the offense, recording 36 of 43 assists on the day, adding two service aces. Dominic Melchiorre provided good coverage up front for the Tigers, adding four blocks to go along with his seven kills, hitting .417 on the day. 

Match Breakdown

The Tigers took the first set from the Terriers 25-18 to start the day, posting a .423 hitting percentage with 16 kills on 26 total attack attempts. Wittenberg jumped to a quick 6-0 lead to start the match, coming off the service rally from Wissel. The Tigers maintained their advantage over the Terriers at 17-12 with back-to-back kills coming from Tyler. Wittenberg closed in on the final points of the set, coming off a kill by Russell Burke and then capitalizing on a ball-handling error by the Terriers. Dominic Melchiorre put down the final kill for the Tigers to take the first set.

The two sides battled back and forth in the second set, as the Tigers took an early 10-5 advantage. Hiram would battle back later in the set, regaining a 19-17 lead over the Red and White. The score would go back to even at 21-21 and 22-22. Wittenberg took the final points of the set, earning a 26-24 win.

The Tigers knocked down 16 kills on 36 total attacks for a .194 hitting marker in the second set. It was a battle through the early going, as Hiram battled back to tie the match back up at 6-6. Wittenberg went on a scoring rally, taking a 12-9 advantage, starting with a kill by Burke followed by a kill from Tyler. Wittenberg continued the scoring rally, extending their lead out to 17-11, forcing a Hiram timeout after the Terrier service error. Wittenberg took the fight out of Hiram down the stretch, allowing the Terriers to hit .-080 in the final set, as Hiram tallied just five kills. Wittenberg kept their foot down, posting a .385 kill percentage, putting down 15 kills on 26 swings.

From The Bench

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will travel to Cincinnati, OH to take on the Lions from Mount. St. Joseph University on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1:00 PM.