No. 25 Volleyball wins OAC Regular Season title outright with sweep of Marietta on Senior Day
By Tim Glon
ADA — No. 25-ranked Ohio Northern won the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season title outright with a 25-12, 25-9, 25-23 victory over Marietta on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at the ONU Sports Center.
The Polar Bears (24-3 overall) claim their 23th league title in the 33 years that the OAC has sponsored volleyball as a championship sport by finishing with a perfect 9-0 slate.
ONU began the day with a ceremony honoring the program's two seniors, Ashley Borchers (Russia) and Claire Heitkamp (Maria Stein/Marion Local).
"I am extremely excited, particularly for our two seniors, Ashley and Claire," ONU head coach Kate Witte said. "Without their leadership and dedication we wouldn't be where we are today. I'm looking forward to the OAC Tournament next week and hope we continue to play well."
Marietta ends its regular season at 17-15, 2-7.
Freshman Haley Potters (Wheelersburg/South Webster) had 11 kills and freshman Chelsea Huppert (bremen, Ind.) added nine kills to lead ONU.
Ohio Northern dominated from the outset, hitting .480 and using a 14-4 run to win the opening set 25-12.
In Set 2, Northern hit .444 and opened the set on a 5-0 run. Leading 12-7, ONU rattled off 12 consecutive points to go up 24-7.
Witte emptied the bench in Set 3 and Northern was able to build a 12-8 lead and go on to the 25-23 victory.
ONU finished the match with 47 kills in just 95 attempts and a .379 hitting percentage while the Pioneers hit .115 with 28 kills in 87 attempts.
The Polar Bears will be the No. 1 seed in next week's OAC Tournament and will host eighth-seeded Marietta in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7 pm at the ONU Sports Center.
