Springfield, Ohio — Women's Volleyball lost to Wittenberg 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 16-25) on Friday. The Scarlet Hawks recorded 38 kills and hit .093, while Wittenberg finished with 52 kills and a .222 hitting percentage. The Scarlet Hawks are 0-1 overall. Wittenberg is 1-1 overall.
How it Happened
After
Olivia McMath opened the set with a service ace and Wittenberg briefly moved in front 2-1, the Scarlet Hawks scored four straight points on
Payton Smith's serve, including a
Victoria Aspurez kill from McMath, a
Karla Trautmann Mendez kill and Smith's ace for a 6-2 lead. Wittenberg worked back through the middle of the set, tying it at 10-10, moving ahead 11-10 on a Carmen Kelly kill and later taking a 16-14 lead after an Addie Moore ace and a Scarlet Hawks attack error. The Scarlet Hawks then scored six straight points to move from a 16-14 deficit to a 20-16 lead, starting with an Aspurez kill and continuing on her serve with a Wittenberg attack error, two aces, a Trautmann-
Lilia Donaldson block and a
Sydney Wilson kill. The Scarlet Hawks stayed in front from there, reached set point on a Donaldson kill and closed the set 25-20 on Smith's block of a Kait Colahan attack.
Wittenberg built a 14-7 lead in the second set, with Clare O'Malley supplying several early kills and Lauren Sanders serving an ace for the 14th point. The Scarlet Hawks cut into the margin after Aspurez put down a kill, then served four straight points that included two Trautmann Mendez kills and two Wittenberg attack errors to make it 14-12. The Scarlet Hawks later got back within 17-15 when Donaldson and McMath combined on a block, but Wittenberg kept answering with sideouts. O'Malley had late kills to move Wittenberg to 24-19, and the home side finished the set 25-19 on a Scarlet Hawks attack error.
Wittenberg opened the third set by moving ahead 6-1 behind kills from Lauren Sanders, Clare O'Malley and Carmen Kelly, but the Scarlet Hawks took the next three points, including Donaldson's block, to cut the gap to 6-4. Wittenberg answered with three straight points to make it 9-4, and although Wilson and McMath added kills during the middle of the set, Wittenberg stretched the margin to 16-9. Aspurez and Smith put down kills to keep the Scarlet Hawks within 18-13, but Wittenberg scored four straight points from there, the last three on kills by Kelly, Maddie Luers and Isabella Hensley, to reach 22-13.
Toshiko Jones served an ace and Donaldson added a late kill for the Scarlet Hawks before Luers finished the set for Wittenberg, 25-16.
The Scarlet Hawks stayed even through the early part of the fourth set, tying it at 7-7 on a Smith kill and a Wittenberg attack error. After Aspurez, Wilson and Trautmann Mendez added kills,
Annalise Clark served an ace to put the Scarlet Hawks ahead 12-11. Wittenberg answered with the next 11 points, getting kills from Karlee Plozay, Maddie Luers and Kait Colahan along with a Mary Sulfridge ace to move in front 22-12. Trautmann and Smith helped the Scarlet Hawks add late kills, but Wittenberg closed the set 25-16 on a Taylor Smith kill.
Scarlet Hawks Top Performers
Brooke Rifkin
----------------------
- team-high 18 digs
- 1 service ace
- 2 assists
Karla Trautmann Mendez
----------------------
- team-high 13 kills
- 6 digs
- 1 block assist
- team-high 14.5 points
Victoria Aspurez
----------------------
- 9 kills with 1 error on 15 attempts
- .533 hitting percentage
- 2 service aces
- 11 points
Olivia McMath
----------------------
- team-high 18 assists
- 9 digs
- 1 service ace
- 1 block assist
Lilia Donaldson
----------------------
- team-high 3 blocks, including 1 solo
- 5 kills
- 7 points
Wittenberg Top Performers
Clare O'Malley
----------------------
- 17 points
- 14 kills on .462 hitting
- 4 blocks, including 2 solo
Mary Sulfridge
----------------------
- 43 assists
- 16 digs
- 2 service aces
- 2 blocks, including 1 solo
Ava Golem
----------------------
- 25 digs
- 1 service ace
- 2 assists
Lauren Sanders
----------------------
- 9 kills
- 12 digs
- 1 service ace
Maddie Luers
----------------------
- 8 kills on .421 hitting
- 3 blocks, including 1 solo
- 10 points
Up next
the Scarlet Hawks continue their weekend trip taking on Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. in Springfield, Ohio.
