Granville, OH: The Big Red volleyball team kicked off conference play at home in Livingston Gymnasium against the Wittenberg Tigers. Denison will take the floor with an 8-7 record with a showcase win over No. 3 Hope. The Tigers present at with an even 6-6 record on the season, highlighted by their win over No. 1 Juniata. In a tough-fought match, the Big Red fell 3-0, balancing their season record at 8-8 and dropping to 0-1 in the conference.

Up Next: Denison will have a week of rest before traveling to Delaware, Ohio, for a doubleheader. The Big Red will start the day against Ohio Wesleyan for their second conference matchup before battling against Case Western Reserve.

Match 1 (Denison 0, Wittenberg 3) (17-25, 20-25, 17-25)

In front of a supportive Family Weekend crowd, the Big Red took the court against the Wittenberg Tigers. In the opening set, both teams traded long runs, but it was Wittenberg that stole the final momentum, despite the late efforts from Kate Sicklick and Ayla Dunbar.

The second set held a similar theme to the first. Both teams traded early leads, but the Tigers were able to go on a late run to go up 21-15. The Big Red were able to get back within one, courtesy of a pair of kills from Carolina Parkhurst and Claire Hamilton. Even with the heroics deep in the set, it was too little too late as the visitors captured the final points to take a 25-20 win to move the match to 2-0.

In the third, and ultimately final set, the Big Red found themselves in a 10-3 hole to start. Playing from behind, Denison was able to capitalize on errors from Wittenberg and stack big-time kills from Maeve Perry, Alice Kempf, Ayla Dunbar, and Kate Sicklick. After bringing the set within reaching distance, the Tigers went on to rattle off six straight points. Dunbar and Hamilton strung together three points in the closing moments, but it would not be enough, dropping the final set 25-17.

Ayla Dunbar and Claire Hamilton led the kill column for the Big Red with 11 and 10, respectively. Alice Kempf tallied 22 assists on the day in addition to eight digs, which was mirrored by Sadie Habeeb.