Related Links:
NCAA Grand Rapids Regional Web Page
Video Interview – Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) and Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls)
NCAA Division III Volleyball Web Page
Live Stats
Live Video
Ohio Northern Volleyball Web Page
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team is set to face Ohio Northern in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Central Time at the Grand Rapids, Mich., Regional hosted by Calvin College.
Ticket prices for the regional are $6 for general admission, $4 for senior citizens, military personnel and students, and $3 for children ages 2-12. All-session passes (good for all three days) are $12 for general admission, $10 for seniors, military personnel and students, and $7 for children ages 2-12.
The Warhawks (24-7 overall) earned a Pool C, or at-large, bid to the national tournament after falling in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament final at UW-Eau Claire last Saturday.
Ohio Northern (22-7) collected a Pool A, or automatic, berth after securing the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament championship. The Polar Bears have won seven straight contests entering the tournament.
Thursday's meeting is the fifth between UW-Whitewater and Ohio Northern. The Warhawks own a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a three-set victory back on Sept. 9, 2011, in St. Louis.
Ohio Northern is led offensively by Chelsea Huppert, who enters the tournament with 361 kills (3.34 per set) and a .350 hitting percentage. Setter Katie Wade runs the offense and owns 1,012 assists (10.65 per set), and McKenna Hostetler leads the defense with team highs of 514 digs (4.72 per set) and 43 service aces.
Senior libero
Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls), who became the program's all-time leader in career digs during the aforementioned UW-Eau Claire match, was named WIAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. She enters the tournament with 653 digs (5.83 per set).
Robinson was joined on the All-WIAC first team by junior middle hitter
Ashton Doll (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster), who ranks among the nation's top five in total blocks (127), and freshman outside hitter
Erin McNeil (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), the team's leader in kills (278 / 2.90 per set). Junior right side hitter
Rachel Butterfield (Milton, Wis./Milton) garnered honorable mention accolades.
Other Warhawk starters include senior middle hitter
Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels), freshman outside hitter
Emma Aske (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) and freshman setter
KellyAnn Sotiros (New Berlin, Wis./West Allis Hale). Berk ranks second on the team with 108 blocks (0.99 per set), and Aske ranks third on the team with 215 kills (2.03 per set).
Sotiros (598 assists / 6.10 per set, 54 service aces) and freshman
Paige Manssen (Bull Valley, Ill./McHenry West) (504 assists / 4.58 per set) run the offense, and junior defensive specialist
Elizabeth Tworek (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic) rotates in the back row and owns 185 digs (1.71 per set).
Other players in the offensive rotation include freshman senior outside hitter
Amanda Spera (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) and freshman outside hitter
Emily Gillen (Richfield, Wis./Slinger). Spera averages 2.13 kills per set, while Gillen averages 1.21 per set.
After missing out on an NCAA Championship bid for the first time in 25 years, UW-Whitewater began the 2018 season with hopes of returning to the national tournament led by a combination of experienced returners and talented newcomers.
The Warhawks opened the season with back-to-back tournaments, finishing with a 3-1 record at its own UW-Whitewater Invite, including a victory over fellow NCAA qualifier Minnesota Morris. The team then bested Ohio Wesleyan and eventual Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion Aurora (Ill.) before falling in five sets against 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan.
UW-Whitewater won its next seven matches, including a five-set victory at NCAA qualifier Carthage and conference wins over UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh and UW-River Falls.
The Warhawks' next three losses came against top 10 competition in No. 3 Wittenberg (Ohio), No. 10 Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) and No. 1 Calvin (Mich.). The team claimed eight of its last 10 regular season matches, including a five-set triumph over No. 13 Hope (Mich.), and reached the final of the WIAC Tournament, where it was bested by No. 15 UW-Eau Claire.
The winner of the UW-Whitewater/Ohio Northern match will face the winner of the Greenville/Calvin match Friday at 7 p.m. Central Time. The regional final is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday.
See below for the complete regional schedule.
Thursday, Nov. 8 (all times Eastern)
12:30 p.m. – Wittenberg vs. Carthage
3 p.m. – Hope vs. DePauw
5:30 p.m. – UW-Whitewater vs. Ohio Northern
8 p.m. – Calvin vs. Greenville
Friday, Nov. 9 (all times Eastern)
5:30 p.m. – Wittenberg/Carthage winner vs. Hope/DePauw winner
8 p.m. – UW-Whitewater/Ohio Northern winner vs. Calvin/Greenville winner
Saturday, Nov. 10 (all times Eastern)
7 p.m. – Regional Final
