Springfield, Ohio - Seeded eighth in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, the Oberlin College volleyball team put up a valiant effort against top-seeded Wittenberg, falling in four sets in the opening round.

The Yeowomen got off to a slow start, dropping the first two games  25-14 and 25-11, but they settled in to win the third set 25-22 before falling 25-19 in the fourth to the nationally ranked Tigers.

Junior Dana Thomas spearheaded the attack with 10 kills, while first-year standout Lexi Mitchell added nine finishes to go along with three aces and a team-high 11 digs.

Fellow rookie Maura Gibbs added seven kills, while senior Maggie Middleton chipped in with five.

Playing in her final NCAC Tournament, senior Meredith Leung posted 14 assists and 10 digs with first-year Samantha Lam aiding the cause with 13 assists of her own.

Unable to find a rhythm in the first two games, the Yeowomen got into system in the third set. After getting an early lead, Oberlin trailed 14-12, but the Yeowomen found a way to take the game. A kill from Middleton was sandwiched in between aces from Mitchell and Emily Kelkar to make it 23-20.

The Yeowomen would go on to finish off the set with kills by Sara Chang and Thomas. As a team Oberlin hit .393 in the set with 14 kills and just three errors on 28 attempts.

In the fourth set Oberlin was staying close and trailed just 16-13 midway through. However, three straight points by the Tigers created enough separation as they finished off the win.

The loss dropped the Yeowomen to 7-18 on the year, while Wittenberg moved to 19-6.

Oberlin will continue tournament play tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against No. 5 Hiram.