ADA, Ohio – The Heidelberg University volleyball team closed out their 2023 campaign in the HCAC/OAC crossover on Saturday afternoon. Facing tough competitors, Wittenberg and Denison, they split 1-1 on the day. 

Head Coach Jason Miller finished his 24th season on a positive note taking down Denison. He finished the season 18-15, the most wins since the 21-8 squad of 2019.


HEIDELBERG 0 WITTENBERG 3 (26-24, 25-21, 25-15)
Lexi Evak led with seven kills and notched three blocks, alongside Anamya Truex who also shut out three. 

Setter Maddie Reed tallied 13 assists in the loss while Libero Nicole Thomas picked up 16 digs. 

The first set was HU's best, at one point holding a five-point lead over the Tigers, 18-13. They would fight their way back, going on a 5-0 run. Heidelberg managed to tie it back up at 24, but Wittenberg would take the final two points for the win. 


In the second, Wittenberg dominated the first half until the Student Princes would fight back to a four-point deficit thanks to five Tiger errors. A kill from Truex and a service ace would close out the last two Student Prince points of the set. 

Wittenberg controlled the third set from start to finish, never allowing The Berg to even tie it up. The Tricolor expelled a last-minute breath of life, taking five straight at the end before a Tiger kill would close out the match. 


HEIDELBERG 3 DENISON 2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13) 

Depending heavily on the outside hitters, Lexi Wachtman and Lexi Evak both marked a dozen kills. They were helped by Anamya Truex and Riley Tople who both tallied ten. Evak managed to hit an efficient .393 percentage while Tople swung .273. 

Truex led with five blocks alongside Evak who notched four. 

Setters Bridgette Burrus and Maddie Reed both had 19 assists in the win. Nicole Thomas picked up 17 digs while Lexi Wachtman marked 12. 

Heidelberg started out strong, with a 6-2 lead over the Big Red. The final score of 25-18 was the largest lead with a seven-point spread. Four of the final five points for Heidelberg came from Denison's errors. 

The 'Berg hitters were on fire to start the second, as Lexi Wachtman found the first two kills, followed by two from Lexi Evak and one from Riley Tople. Two kills and two HU attack errors allowed Denison back in the game for an 18-14 lead, which Heidelberg never got back. 

The powerful hitting didn't stop, as the first eight points of the third were from kills. The Student Princes would take a demanding lead as they went on an unstoppable nine-point run. Denison made an attempt at a comeback at the end, outscoring the Tricolor 6-2, but it wasn't enough. 

Denison grasping on for life, put up a battle in the fourth set. Neither team had more than a two-point lead up until the Big Red led 17-14. Capitalizing on Heidelberg's miscues, they finished the set on the positive side and forced a fifth. 

In what seemed to be an easy win for Denison didn't end up going their way. An 8-2 lead was not an ideal situation for Heidelberg. Nevertheless, The Student Princes rallied for the win, sparking their own six-point streak. HU took the first lead at 13-12 from a Truex kill. They allowed Denison to score one more before two more 'Berg kills sealed the victory.