Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College volleyball team put forth an inspired effort against the visiting Wittenberg University Tigers but in the end, it wasn't enough as the conference-leading Tigers prevailed in straight sets by the scores of 25-21, 25-21, and 25-11.
 
The Tigers used their size at the net to record nine total blocks while limiting Oberlin to a hitting percentage of just .109 on the night with 28 kills against 17 errors on 101 total swings.
 
Andréa Jones led the Yeowomen with nine kills to accompany her 12 digs, while Natalie Dufour went error free with seven finishes on 12 attempts for a 58.3 percent success rate. Taylor Gwynne dished out 21 assists, while Lauren Sands led the back row with 14 digs.
 
The Yeowomen came out energized in the first set, opening up a 5-1 lead. However, they later trailed 17-10 before ripping off six straight points that featured four miscues by the Tigers. The Yeowomen would grab a 20-19 advantage on a kill from Jones to force the visitors to call timeout but Wittenberg responded after the reset with five of the next six points to secure the set.
 
The second stanza was nip-and-tuck throughout with Oberlin grabbing a brief 9-8 edge. After trailing by as many as four, a 4-1 Oberlin burst that contained kills from Jones, Natasha Radic, and Dufour trimmed the deficit down to 17-16 but three consecutive Tiger points gave them some breathing room as they held off Oberlin the rest of the way.
 
Wittenberg raced out to a 7-1 lead to start the third and Oberlin tried to claw its way back into it with three straight aces from Gwynne but the Tigers quickly squashed the threat and never looked back.
 
The Tigers, who hit .311 for the match with 41 kills and just 13 miscues on 90 swings, moved to 13-4 overall and remained unbeaten in NCAC play at 4-0. Oberlin dropped back to an even 8-8 and 1-3 in league play.
 
The Yeowomen will honor its senior class prior to its 3 p.m. match on Saturday against St. Vincent.