TIFFIN -- In what truly was a roller coaster of a match, the Heidelberg University volleyball team was defeated in yet another five-set match, this time at the hands of No. 11 Ohio Northern University.
The Polar Bears took the match by scores of 25-9, 22-25, 25-12, 10-25, and 15-10.
With the loss, the Berg drops to 20-5 overall and 4-2 in conference, while the Polar Bears improve to 21-4, 6-0.
Leading the Student Princes offensively was
Taylor Valentine with 15 kills.
Olivia Cristian was next with eight kills.
Anna McNabb had 23 assists, while Julianna Pena added 19.
Sarah Oney scooped up 28 digs and Valentine added 20.
Mya Morris (6) and
Jordann Gudorf (5) led the way in blocking.
The five-set loss to the No. 11 ranked opponent marked the third loss to a ranked foe this season for Heidelberg, and second in five sets after they were upended by No. 4 Berry earlier this season in the fifth set.
The Student Princes got put on their heels quickly by the fast pace and height of the Heidelberg front row players. The Polar Bears out-hit Heidelberg by a margin of .333 to -.200. Heidelberg only mustered four kills on the lackluster offensive set, which included 11 attack errors. Cristian was responsible for two of the Berg kills in the first stanza of play.
After the much needed first set wake up call, Heidelberg stormed back in the second set to even the match at one-set apiece. The set featured a tied score on 19 occasions and six lead changes and the teams went toe-to-toe. The Berg turned it around offensively as they hit a much improved .260 across the second stanza. With the scores tied at 22 late,
Alyssa Crusey stepped up with two crucial kills that buoyed the Berg over the line. Her second came off an ONU block and capped the set at 25-22 in favor of Heidelberg.
Ohio Northern seemed unphased by the Student Princes' increase in tempo in the third set and they quickly built a 17-6 lead that forced the Berg into their second timeout of the set. Unfortunately, the stoppage was only brief as ONU's 100% sideout rate kept up and the Polar Bears took the third set 25-12.
Heidelberg forced ONU into their second timeout of the set with the score just 11-5. The Student Princes utilized an effective mix of hard-hitting and placed tip-shots to drive their run. After the timeout though,
Sarah Oney served six in a row, including two aces that pushed the lead to 11.
After a brief side-out from ONU, Heidelberg kept up the pressure, once again mixing their offense to pull away from the conference leaders. The set was capped off on an ONU attack error by Jasmine Wolfgram. Heidelberg forced back three critical blocks in the set that helped keep the Polar Bears to an even .000 hitting percentage in the fourth.
The brilliant play from Heidelberg awakened the crowd and provided a much needed spark for the Student Princes and set up the fifth set.
In the deciding set, Ohio Northern was first to the eight-point mark leading to the change of sides. From there, the ranked Polar Bears did what was the theme all night long -- they powered home the set victory from the west end of the gym. A timeout from head coach
Jason Miller with the score 11-9 in favor of the visitors, proved to be the last chance for Heidelberg.
Out of the timeout, the Polar Bears took the next three points to all but seal it. After a brief Heidelberg sideout, ONU took the match on a McKenna Jordan kill.
For the Polar Bears, Jordan led the way with 15 kills, while Madison Kern (12) and Sydney Bapst (11) also reached double figures in kills. Katie Wade facilitated the offense with 47 assists. McKenna Hotstetler had a match-high 30 digs.
Heidelberg will hit the road on Saturday and their run through the OAC gauntlet continues against Mount Union. First serve in Alliance is scheduled for 1 p.m.
