NCAC Weekly Release (10-15-12) - Volleyball

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The North Coast volleyball standings will reach a tipping point in this final week of the conference schedule as league leaders Hiram (6-0, 20-5) and Wittenberg (6-0, 16-4) square off on Friday evening in Springfield at 7:00 p.m. The winner of the match will gain an inside track toward securing the 2012 NCAC Championship and hosting rights for the NCAC Volleyball Tournament. In addition, Kenyon (1-5, 3-15) can secure the eighth and final spot in the NCAC Tournament with a victory over Oberlin (0-6, 7-13) on Friday; however, an Oberlin victory over the Ladies will make the final Saturday of league play exponentially more important for numerous league squads.

ALLEGHENY went 1-1 in conference play last week, falling to Hiram, 3-0, on Wednesday, before knocking off Kenyon, 3-1, on Saturday. Freshman outside hitter Julia Weeks (McLean, VA/Langley) racked up 42 kills, 20 digs and four service aces to lead the Gators on the week.

DENISON split a home tri-match on Saturday, dropping a 3-0 decision against NCAC-foe DePauw and upending Manchester, 3-2, in the nightcap. In eight total sets last week, sophomore setter Jessica Borsani (North Baltimore, OH/Van Buren) dished out 72 assists, while Emily Marguerite (Wilmette, IL/New Trier) logged 34 digs.

DEPAUW saw its 17-match win streak come to a close with a 3-1 setback against No. 3 Wittenberg on Wednesday, but the Tigers did rebound with back-to-back wins over Denison, 3-0, and Manchester, 3-2, on Saturday in Granville. In the match against Wittenberg, DPU won the first set and did hold a 23-19 lead in the second set; however, Wittenberg came to life and earned the come-from-behind victory by winning the final three sets.

HIRAM kept pace with Wittenberg at the top of the league standings with three straight-set victories last week over Allegheny, Ohio Wesleyan and Kalamazoo. Freshman middle hitter Emily Mortimer (Mogadore, OH/Field) paced the Terriers on the week with 25 kills and a .455 attack percentage to go along with 10 blocks (2 solo, 8 asst.) and four digs.

KENYON dropped all three of its matches last week, including NCAC matchups against Wooster, 3-0, and Allegheny, 3-1. Junior Sierra DeLeon (Upper Marlboro, MD/Maret School) capped the week with 43 kills and now has 217 for the season.

OBERLIN was 0-2 in action last week, falling in straight-sets against Ursuline and Wittenberg.

OHIO WESLEYAN fell in straight-sets in three matches last week against Bluffton, Hiram and Kalamazoo. Senior outside hitter Megan Weissenberger (Toledo, OH/Central Catholic) led the Battling Bishops on the week with a team-high 26 kills.

WITTENBERG, which is ranked 3rd on the AVCA National Poll, remained unbeaten in NCAC action with two league wins against DePauw, 3-1, and Oberlin, 3-0. Junior Andrea Behling (Columbus, IN/North) led the way with a team-best nine total blocks (2 solo, 7 asst.), while also pounding 20 kills and a .447 hitting percentage. She struck 10 kills in each match, while putting up five block assists against DePauw and two solo and two assists against Oberlin.

WOOSTER was 2-1 in action last week, defeating Kenyon, 3-0, and Marietta, 3-2, and falling to Muskingum, 3-2. Senior libero Kelley Johnson (Orrville, OH/Orrville), who leads the conference and is seventh in the nation in digs, upped her season average to 6.34 digs per set after totaling 92 on the week, including 37 in back-to-back five-set matches against Muskingum and Marietta.