The No. 3 ranked Wittenberg Tigers handed the Big Red its third defeat of 2012, 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-20) from Livingston Gymnasium.

The match marked the first North Coast Athletic Conference contest of the season for both teams and the Tigers came out of the gates strong, posting a 13-point win in the opening set.  DU found themselves down big in the second set, but they battled back before eventually falling by eight. 

In the third and final set, Denison played the defending national champs tough.  A kill by the Big Red tied the match at 17 and Wittenberg head coach Paco Labrador followed with a time out.  After the break, Wittenberg would win four of the next five points to take a 21-18 lead.  After a Denison timeout, the Tigers would win four of the next six points to lock up the victory.

Denison was led in kills by Kenzie Kuhn who finished with seven.  Brittany Perry posted five kills while Elena Lein and Annemarie Fischer posted four kills apiece.  Jessica Borsani totaled 22 assists while Emily Marguerite posted nine digs.  Denison's leader in blocks was also Lein who finished with three of the solo variety.

The Tigers were paced by Kara Seidenstricker who finished with 13 kills and four block assists.  Jessica Batanian added 10 kills while Christina Gilene led the way with 14 digs.

Wittenberg improves to 9-2 and 1-0 in the NCAC while Denison drops to 10-3 and 0-1 in league play.  DU will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for a tri-match this Saturday (Sept. 22) against Rose-Hulman and Anderson.