Wittenberg athletics photo by Avery Ausman

On Friday night at Pam Evans Smith Arena, the Wittenberg Tigers pulled off one of the biggest wins in recent history. Hosting the nation's top-ranked team and three-time defending national champion Juniata Eagles, Wittenberg rose to the occasion in front of a packed and electric crowd, winning a five-set thriller by scores of 23–25, 25–14, 25–20, 20–25, 15–13.

After a first set full of long rallies, scrappy defense, and a tough two-point loss, the Tigers bounced back in a big way in set two with a dominant 25-14 win, hitting .294 and notching 13 kills in the set.

The third set saw more success for the Tigers. Hitting .226 with nine kills throughout the set, Wittenberg continued their stellar defense and fed off an electric crowd, fueling them to a 25-20 victory. Down 2-1, the Eagles entered a win or go home situation in set four. After an opening 1-4 run from the Tigers, the Eagles found a timely response and controlled the middle of the set. The Eagles gained their first lead at 9-8 in the midst of a 9-2 run, at the end of which gave them a six point advantage, up 17-11. After extending that lead to ten at 23-13, the Eagles sat two points away from forcing a fifth set. The Tigers did not go down without a fight though. The Eagles dropped seven points before clinching two of their own, winning the set 25-20 with a sigh of relief after a Wittenberg attack error.

It all came down to set five. The Eagles had come from behind numerous times in their past 103 wins, but a 3-0 deficit became one that the Eagles would not be able to overcome on the night. For most of the set, the Tigers' lead tetered between three and four points. Down 11-7, the Eagles had to make a stand, and they did, winning four of the next five points to bring the match within one point. At 12-11, Wittenberg made a nice kill on the outisde to push the lead back to two. Despite fighting off set point at 14-12, the Eagles just couldn't find their way back into the lead in the final points. The Tigers took the set and match, 13-15 and 2-3.

The box score reflected just how hard-fought the match was. Wittenberg outscored Juniata 108–87 overall, recording 50 kills on a .208 hitting percentage, eight aces, 73 digs, and 10 blocks. Juniata countered with 54 kills (.157), 13 aces, 65 digs, and five blocks.

Several Tigers stepped up in the upset. Alana Bartulovic led the way with 15 kills and 16.5 points. Claire O'Malley added 10 kills on an impressive .364 hitting percentage while chipping in three blocks. Defensively, Ally White anchored the back row with a team-high 19 digs.

Coming into the match, Juniata had won a Division III women's volleyball record 103 consecutive games and three consecutive national championships, a streak that defined their dominance over Division III women's volleyball. But on this night, Wittenberg was ready for the moment, handing the Eagles (6-1) their first loss in over three years and making history inside Pam Evans Smith Arena.