TIFFIN, Ohio—The No. 11 Heidelberg University volleyball team won its fifth consecutive match to start the season tonight after rallying to win three straight sets to defeat Hiram College, 3-2 (21-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-10), in Seiberling Gymnasium. Senior reigning Ohio Athletic Conference player of the year Jackie Reinhart (New Riegel) and senior second-team All-OAC outside hitter Venessa Haase (Miamisburg) each notched double-doubles in the win.
The Berg improves to 5-0 overall, while Hiram drops to 1-4.
After dropping the first two sets by identical 25-21 scores12th-year head coach Jason Miller’s team rallied to win 65 of the next 117 points during the match.
“I have to give the credit to Hiram. Hiram is an extremely good team,” said 12th-year head coach Jason Miller. “I was pleased with the perseverance our girls showed. The leadership that the upperclassmen showed, fighting down the stretch, tooth and nail to get the win, carried us.”
Reinhart tallied a team-high 21 digs and Haase, who was named last week’s OAC player of the week, etched 12. Both student-athletes recorded a game-high tying 14 kills.
Junior second-team All-OAC middle hitter Marian Bevington (Celina/Parkway) also provided offensive assistance with 12 kills of her own.
Two student-athletes—junior setter Rachel Ferguson (Brighton, Mich./Brighton ) and sophomore setter Alexa Frank (Tiffin/Calvert) had 29 assists and 21 assists, respectively.
Freshman defensive specialist Tessa Benanzer (Fort Laramie) dug a team-high 29 balls.
The Berg will travel Friday to Cincinnati to compete in the two-day Mount St. Joseph Invite with scheduled matches against Thomas More (Ky.) College on Friday at 5 p.m. and Wittenberg University and The College of Mount St. Joseph on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.