Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania volleyball team dropped a 24-26, 25-14, 22-25, 19-25 match to the Wittenberg University Tigers on Tuesday evening at the Beck Center.
The Pioneers dropped to 7-7 overall on the season while the Tigers improved to 9-4 on the season.
Cate Scheper led the Pioneers with a match-high 16 kills on the night and was aided by Kaetlin Ethington with 11 kills. Suzanne Klosterman added seven kills for the Pioneers, who saw two of three tight sets go to the Tigers, including the dramatic opening set.
Wittenberg came out sharp in the first set with a .294 attacking percentage but the Pioneers responded to every Tiger hit; the first set featured 19 ties while the lead changed hands 12 different times. Transylvania seemingly seized momentum with four straight points late in the first set to grab a 23-20 lead, but the Pioneers committed two of their seven set one errors to give way to a 23-23 tie. Klosterman levied a kill to put the Pioneers in position for set point at 24-23, but the Tigers came through with three straight points to steal away the first set.
Transylvania made amends in the second set, running away with set two quickly by building a 20-9 lead. Scheper delivered six kills in the second set while Klosterman and Lauren Reynolds stood strong at the net with three kills apiece. Wittenberg was held in check with seven errors against just seven kills in the second set as the Pioneers showed off their all-around strength.
The third set mirrored the first set as the teams jousted with one another tightly all the way through until the late stages. Karrington Jackson came up with a kill to tie up the third set at 22-22, but the Tigers answered with two kills and a block to take away the third set.
Wittenberg's efficiency surged again in the fourth set while putting the Pioneer defense on its heels as the Tigers generated 16 kills in the final set. The Tigers dished out 16 assists in the final set to overpower the Pioneers in four.
Sylvie Miller led Transylvania with 21 digs while Madison Sweeney tallied a career-high seven blocks. Lauren Reynolds also set a personal best in blocks with eight on the night while Grace Ward led the Pioneers with 22 assists.
The Pioneers continue their homestand on Friday, September 24 against No. 13 Berry College at 7 p.m.
For more on Transylvania volleyball, follow @TransylvaniaWVB on Twitter
