John Carroll, Wittenberg Advance to NCAC Volleyball Tournament Final

SPRINGFIELD, OH - After collecting semifinal victories in the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference volleyball tournament, top-seeded Wittenberg (19-7) and No. 2-seeded John Carroll (21-8) will matchup in the tournament championship. The tournament finale between the Blue Streaks and Tigers will take place on Saturday, November 15, at 1:00 p.m. in Springfield, Ohio.

In the semifinal round,  John Carroll defeated Ohio Wesleyan in four sets (25-14, 25-16, 16-25, 25-17), while Wittenberg collected a straight-set 3-0 victory over Denison (25-11, 25-14, 25-18).

The Tigers return to the finals for the 29th time in program history and look to capture their league-leading 28th tourney crown, while the John Carroll Blue Streaks enter the tournament final in their debut season in the conference. The NCAC tournament champion will earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.

#2 JOHN CARROLL (21-8) 3, #3 OHIO WESLEYAN (15-14) 1
(25-14, 25-16, 16-25, 25-17)
  • John Carroll controlled the opening set from the start, using early kills from junior Natalie Glowe (Kirtland, OH/Kirtland) and senior Kendra Dziubinski (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles East) to build a 15-7 lead and force two OWU timeouts. OWU rallied late behind three kills from sophomore Jordanne Shannon (Detroit, MI/West Bloomfield), but JCU's balanced attack, highlighted by contributions from Glowe and juniors Hailey Williams (Twinsburg, OH/Twinsburg) and Kallan Hrics (Wadsworth, OH), closing the frame on a 10-4 run to take the set, 25-14.
  • The Blue Streaks continued their strong offensive rhythm into the second set, building a double-digit lead behind kills from Glowe, Dziubinski and junior Mary Kate Sheehan (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) while capitalizing on OWU errors. Ohio Wesleyan mounted a late push with Shannon and junior Natalie Dieball (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota East) contributing kills, but the Blue Streaks closed out the set, 25-16.
  • Ohio Wesleyan dominated the third set behind balanced offense and timely kills from Dieball, sophomore Megan Lantis (Wooster, OH/Wooster) and first-year Abby Nulph (West Jefferson, OH/West Jefferson). The Bishops built an early lead and maintained control throughout to close out the set 25-16.
  • John Carroll built an early lead and maintained control throughout the fourth set, using kills from the trio of Glowe, Dziubinski and Sheehan, and service aces from sophomore Tess Humphrey (Huron, OH/Huron High School) to pull away. Ohio Wesleyan made some late pushes with kills from Shannon, Nulph, and Dieball, but the Blue Streaks closed out the set 25-17.
  • Ohio Wesleyan was paced offensively by Dieball and Shannon, who each recorded 10 kills, while Shannon hit a team-best .333 and Dieball added six digs, two aces, and one block. Lantis contributed eight kills and hit .300, while senior Bella Guzzetta (Boca Raton, FL/Spanish River) led the Bishops defensively with 22 digs, and senior Lily Bechina (Chicago, IL/Jones College Prep) recorded the team's only double-double with 31 assists and 16 digs.
  • John Carroll was paced offensively by Glowe, who recorded a team-high 16 kills and hit .316, adding 13 digs, while Mary Kate Sheehan contributed nine kills, five digs and two blocks, and Kendra Dziubinski added seven kills. Senior Haley Nicholson (Pittsburgh, PA/South Fayette) dished out a team-best 17 assists, and sophomore Olivia Mogyordy (Westlake, OH/Westlake High School) led the Blue Streaks defensively with 22 digs. Tess Humphrey added a double-double with 14 assists and 14 digs, along with three aces, to round out JCU's balanced attack.
#1 WITTENBERG (19-7) 3, #4 DENISON (16-16) 0
(25-11, 25-14, 25-18)
  • Wittenberg jumped out to a 6-0 lead and later added a 7-0 run to dominate the first set. Senior Kaili Worcester (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) paced the Tigers offensively with seven kills. Defensively, senior Ally White (Harrison, OH/Harrison) led Wittenberg with key digs, supported by sophomore Madelyn Luers (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East). Denison countered with balanced contributions from sophomore Kate Sicklick (Tiburon, CA/Redwood), first-year Carolina Parkhurst (Silver Spring, MD/Bethesda Chevy Chase) and juniors Claire Hamilton (Lower Merion, PA/Lower Merion), and Maeve Perry (Indianapolis, IN/Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School), while junior Ayla Dunbar (Ann Arbor, MI/Skyline) led the Big Red defensively with several digs. The Tigers maintained control throughout, capturing the opening frame 25-11.
  • The Tigers pulled away in the second set, building momentum with mid-set 5-0 and 4-0 runs to close out a 25-14 win. Worcester continued to lead the Wittenberg offensive with multiple kills, while Luers and White contributed key digs and kills to maintain control of the set. Junior Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH/Vermilion) added key kills in the middle and late stages of the set to seal the victory. Denison countered with contributions from Dunbar and Sicklick.
  • Wittenberg closed out the match in the third set, building momentum with an early 5-0 run that helped the Tigers pull ahead. Worcester and Colahan continued their offensive dominance with multiple kills, supported by White, who had key digs. Denison stayed competitive with a 3-0 run and later a 4-0 run, but Wittenberg's balanced attack and consistent scoring ultimately sealed the set 25-18 for the match victory.
  • Denison was paced offensively by Sicklick, who recorded a team-high six kills and hit .357, while Dunbar contributed five kills and eight digs, Hamilton added three kills and Perry posted four digs, three kills a block and a kill. Senior Alice Kempf (Louisville, KY/Sacred Heart Academy) led the Big Red in assists with 11, and classmate Sadie Habeeb (Independence, OH/Independence) anchored the defense with 13 digs, while Parkhurst contributed two kills and a block to round out Denison's balanced effort.
  • Wittenberg was paced offensively by Colahan, who recorded a match-high 13 kills and hit .565, adding three blocks and three digs, while Worcester contributed a double-double with 10 kills, and 10 digs to go along with two blocks, and junior Sam Fincham (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) added six kills. Sulfridge dished out a match-high 26 assists, and White led the Tigers defensively with a match-high 19 digs. Luers added seven points with five kills, three block assists and a dig, rounding out Wittenberg's balanced attack.

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