GRANVILLE -- The Denison volleyball grabbed an early lead over fifth-ranked Wittenberg, but three straight victories propelled the Tigers to a 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-16) win on Thursday night at Livingston Gym.

The Big Red pushed Wittenberg to the limit in the opening set of their North Coast Athletic Conference clash. After battling for every point early in on, the Tigers started to pull away eventually building an eight-point lead following a Taylor Brown ace. However, Denison answered by scoring five of the next six points, shrinking the deficit to 19-15 and forcing Wittenberg to call a timeout. Isabella Pivec, Kathlyn Craigie and Leah Reinfranck all registered kills during the surge, while Witt's Maddie Fischer committed two attacking miscues.

The Tigers scored back-to-back points out of the stoppage, but it was an 8-1 burst that gave the Big Red their first lead since a 4-3 advantage earlier in the set. Reinfranck capped off the run with a service ace that gave DU a 23-22 edge. Sarah Bradley provided a pair of kills, while Carly Newell also had a finisher. Emily Kahlig evened the score with a kill, but an Alex Tubbs finish and a double block by Tubbs and Pivec gave the Big red a 1-0 match lead. Junior libero Kristin Thewes reached a milestone early in the set. With the match tied 3-3, Thewes dug an attack by Fischer that eventually led to a Rachele Lock kill. That dig marked the 1,000th of her collegiate career.

Wittenberg responded to the opening set loss with a 25-15 victory in the second. The third set saw six ties before the Tigers opened up a 24-18 lead. Consecutive kills by Kristen Brennan and an ace by Kristin Thewes closed the game to three. Reinfranck pulled the Big Red to within two, but a Kendall Farmer kill gave Witt a 2-1 lead. In what would be the final set, the Tigers broke a 9-9 tie by scoring 10 of the next 11 points. Denison tried to claw back into the set, but eventually fell 25-16.

Reinfranck led all hitters with 13 kills to go along with a.423 attacking percentage. She also recorded three digs and two block assists. Pivec followed with nine kills and three block assists, while Bradley chipped in five finishers. Kaileigh Poe handed out 20 assists, while Julia Miller logged 17. Thewes finished the match with a team-high 18 digs, while Newell and Hannah Glick had 11 apiece. Thewes also served up three of the team's four aces. At the net, Tubb finished with four block assists.

Camila Quinones and Fischer co-led the Tiger offense with 12 kills. Karen Wildemann dished out 22 assists, while Madison Manger had 18 digs. Aubrey Cox finished with a match-high seven block assists, while Brown had four total blocks.

Denison falls to 6-10 overall and 1-1 in the NCAC, while Wittenberg improves to 9-3 and 3-0 in league play. The Big Red takes a break from conference action Friday night when they host Bluffton at 7:30 p.m.