Volleyball set to battle top-ranked Wittenberg and Oberlin

The Muskingum volleyball team will look to remain red hot this Saturday as they travel to Springfield, Ohio to take part in the Wittenberg Tri-Match that features Oberlin College and the #1 ranked team in NCAA Division III Wittenberg University. The matches are set to start at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.

Match 1: Muskingum vs Oberlin – 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats/Video at fightingmuskies.com)

Match 2: Muskingum vs #1vWittenberg – 4:00 p.m. (Live Stats/Video at fightingmuskies.com)

Records: Muskingum 11-1 overall, Oberlin 9-3 overall, Wittenberg 9-0 overall

Muskingum Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• The 11-1 record on the season is the best start since the 2008 season.
• The Muskies are coming off a perfect 4-0 streak after competing in the DePauw Invitational last weekend in Greencastle, Indiana. Freshmen outside hitter Brooke Fatheree and senior middle hitter Chloe Brandewie were named to the all-tournament team. Fatheree was also named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Volleyball Player of the Week after her stellar performance over the weekend. She recorded 4.6 kills (55 total), three digs-per-set (36 total), and added seven total blocks.
• Brooke Fatheree is first on the team in total kills (149) and kills-per-set (3.92), while she ranks sixth and second, respectively, in the OAC. In Division III, she is 19th overall in points-per-set (4.67).
• Outside hitter Courtney Nestoff is 11th in the conference with 181 digs and fifth in digs-per-set (4.76).
• Brandewie has the sixth best hitting percentage in the conference at .328.
• Setter Erin Dickson is averaging 9.55 assists-per-set, placing her first on the team and sixth in the conference.
• As a team, the Fighting Muskies are third in total blocks (82), fourth in hitting percentage (.236), and fifth in service aces (80) in the conference.

Did you know?

• Head Coach Hallie Donathan and Assistant Coach Kristina Fultz both played at Wittenberg. As a player, Donathan was a member of the 2011 squad that won the NCAA Division III National Championship. In 2015, Donathan was an Assistant Coach, while Fultz was a player when the Tigers finished the season as National Runners-up.

Oberlin Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• Oberlin is on a four-game winning streak after defeating Pitt-Greensburg, Earlham, La Roche, and John Carroll.
• Outside hitter Lexi Mitchell leads her team in kills with 149 and kills-per-set averaging 3.39, while she is fifth in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in kills and sixth in kills-per-set.
• Setter Samantha Lam is first on her team, third in the NCAC, and 23rd in the NCAA in assists-per-set (10.31, 402 total assists).
• Defensive specialist Emily Kelkar ranks first on her squad in digs (143), digs-per-set (3.25), and service aces-per-set (0.66, 29 total). She leads the NCAC in service aces-per-set, tied for eighth in digs, and 15th in digs-per-set.
• In the NCAC, the team ranks second in service aces (110 total) and fourth in assists (497) and kills (549).

Wittenberg Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• Wittenberg has started the 2017 campaign winning nine straight contests. The last time the Tigers have won more than nine straight was in 2007, winning 38 before losing to Washington University in the National Semifinals.
• The Tigers were ranked #1 in this week's AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll for Division III. They were picked #11 in the pre-season poll.
• They have won the last 10 NCAC Tournament Championships.
• Middle Blocker Aubrey Cox was named the 2016 DIII AVCA National Freshman of the Year and was a DIII Honorable Mention All-America honoree a year ago. This year, she is second on her team in total blocks (32) and second in the NCAC in blocks-per-set (0.97).
• WU has only gone to five sets once this season, which was to then, the #2 DIII team in the country, Emory.
• Outside hitter Maddie Fischer leads her team in kills (119) and kills-per-set (3.61) and is eighth and second in the NCAC. She is also second on the team and eighth in the conference in digs-per-set (3.91).
• Defensive specialists Taylor Yontz and Madison Manager are first (3.94) and third (3.82) on their team in digs-per-set and seventh and ninth, respectively, in the NCAC.
• In the NCAC, the team ranks third in hitting percentage (.198), fourth in total blocks (76), and sixth in digs (648).
• In Division III, the team is seventh in blocks-per-set (2.30), 14th in digs-per-set (19.64), and 21st in team attacks-per-set (38.18).