Men’s Volleyball Posts 99th Victory in Program History; Splits in Matches on the Day

SPRINGFIELD, OH – It's win No. 99 and counting!

Facing some tough competition in day two of the Jim Coleman Memorial tournament, Wittenberg's men's volleyball team split the day's matches coming up short against No. 1 ranked Southern Virginia then claiming victory over Edgewood in match two on Saturday, Jan. 25, at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex. The victory over Edgewood was the 99^th win in the men's program history.

The Tigers defeated Edgewood 3-1 in scores of 25-7, 25-20, 21-25, and 25-16. Coming out strong on the attack against Edgewood, Witt held the Eagles to just seven points in set one while landing nine kills to just two for the Eagles. Ahead 19-10 in set two, Edgewood climbed back into the game with a 10 to six run to come within two before the Tigers would close the door. After a setback in game three, Witt regrouped to secure the victory sending the Eagles down to a 1-3 record on the season.

Wittenberg suffered a loss at the hands of Southern Virginia in match one. Southern Virginia, getting 17 first-place votes in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, is looking to secure a second national title returning two All-Americans and five All-Conference players from last year's squad. The Knights looked tough controlling the offense and recording the win in three-straight sets over Wittenberg, 25-17, 25-15, and 25-22. The win keeps Southern Virginia undefeated on the season at 4-0. It was their second victory of the day after defeating No. 12 Loras in an earlier match, 3-0 at Wittenberg.

Team Leaders vs. Edgewood

• Three Tigers registered double digits in points.
• Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) was the team leader with 14 kills, 27 total attacks, 16 points, seven digs, and three total blocks.
• Eli Halverson  (Hamilton, OH / Badin) added 10 kills, 17 total attacks, 13 points, three service aces, and four digs.
• Matthew Gerardi (New Carlisle, OH / Tecumseh) recorded eight kills, 16 total attacks, 12 points, four digs, two blocks, and three service aces.
• Sam Richardson (Akron, OH / Walsh Jesuit) led the team in assists with 19 and Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) added 16 and had a team-high nine digs.

Team Comparison vs. Edgewood

• Wittenberg led in most stats vs. Edgewood. The Eagles landed more aces, seven to six.
• The Tigers had 45 kills to 27 for the Eagles, led 39-24 in assists, 40-31 in digs, and 10 to five in blocks.
• Wittenberg had a hitting percentage of .323 to .010 for Edgewood.

Team Leaders vs. Southern Virginia

• Michael Yurk  (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) paced the team in kills with eight, 16 total attacks, and eight points.
• Eli Halverson  (Hamilton, OH / Badin) recorded four kills, 10 total attacks, and five points. 
• Gavin Hagerty  (Fishers, IN / Fishers) led the team in assists with 14, and added three digs, one block assist and a service ace.

Team Comparison vs. Southern Virginia

• Wittenberg had the edge in blocks six to four.
• Team stats for Wittenberg included 23 kills, 55 total attacks, 21 assists, two service aces, and 15 digs. 
• Southern Virginia led in most categories with 49 kills, 77 total attacks, 45 assists, 10 service aces, and 17 digs.

Up Next
Wittenberg, now 6-4 on the season, will go for its 100^th victory in program history when it hosts Hiram at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, at Pam Evans Smith Arena.