Heidelberg Season is Bittersweet; Ends in Second Match of NCAA Championships
In 2007 the Heidelberg College volleyball team raised the level of competition that crosses through Tiffin with a stellar season that saw the Berg reach the Division III NCAA Championship Regional Semifinals following an appearance in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Finals. But all great seasons must come to the end and for the Berg is was at the hands of No. 1 Wittenberg University 3-0 (30-20, 30-15, 30-25) in a regional semifinal match up.
It is a season that has a bittersweet ending. Prior to this year, Heidelberg had never won a postseason match and this year went 3-2 in tournament play, including a win in its
first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships. Although the Berg closed out the year on the low end of the scoreboard, the program has made a name for itself among the nation’s elite. According to head coach Jason Miller “It was a great season. It was great for our program and has helped us to identify among the top teams in all of Division III.”
Heidelberg closes out the year at 27-11 overall, which ties for the most wins in the history of the program. Aside from the team finishing its year, six seniors capped off a tremendous four-year stint donning the colors of the Berg. Closing out their careers are Laurie Patrick (Bellevue, Ohio / Bellevue), Whitney Magers (Green Springs, Ohio / Old Fort), Katie Jones (Akron, Ohio / Green), Tracy Sutter (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg), Kristy Bollenbacher (Huron, Ohio / Huron) and Kendra Orwig (Castalia, Ohio / Margaretta).
In the opening game, Heidelberg and Wittenberg battled back and forth through the first 17 points. Back-to-back kills by Kelsey Elliott (Ottawa, Ohio / Ottawa-Glandorf) and Emily
Hurlburt (St. Mary’s, Ohio / Memorial) pulled the Berg within two, 17-15, forcing a Tigers’ timeout. Following the timeout, Wittenberg rattled off seven-straight points to take advantage of the match at 23-15 and went on for the 30-20 win.
Game two saw Patrick open the scoring with a solo block, but Wittenberg controlled the rest of the game, posting a 30-15 win.
Wittenberg had to earn the match victory by fighting off a pesky Heidelberg team in the third game. The Berg overcame its early hitting woes and pulled within two points, at 16-14 on a Patrick solo block, but the Tigers went on to extend its lead to 23-19. In the end, Wittenberg battled Heidelberg for the match win on four-straight serves before posting the 30-25 win. In the final game, Heidelberg hit .214 with 14 kills in 42 attempts and five errors.
For the match, Hurlburt led the way with seven kills and five blocks, while Whitney Magers and Audra Vucic (Lancaster, Ohio / Fisher Catholic) had six kills apiece. For the fifth-consecutive outing sophomore setter Morgan Magers (Green Springs, Ohio / Old Fort) left the court with a double-double, finishing with 24 assists and 10 digs. Leading the defense was Orwig with 15 digs.