#20 Volleyball upends #17 Hope in straight sets at Wittenberg Fall Classic

By Blake Moore

SPRINGFIELD - The No. 20-ranked Ohio Northern women's volleyball program upset the No. 17-ranked Hope (Mich.) Flying Dutch 25-20, 25-16, and 25-21 in the Polar Bear's opening match at the 2018 Wittenberg Fall Classic in Springfield, Ohio Friday evening.

With the victory, Northern moves to 8-2 overall while Hope dropped their first match of the campaign, falling to 7-1 overall.

Junior middle hitter Chelsea Huppert (Bremen, Ind.) provided the spark offensively as she posted 15 kills on 22 total attacks with just one error, resulting in a stratospheric .636 attack percentage. She would also chip in a pair of blocks, two assists, and a dig in the winning effort.

Fellow classmate Sydney Bapst (Grove City) was next in line with nine kills and a .240 hitting percentage on the evening.

Sophomore setter Katie Wade (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek) registered 37 helpers on Friday and turned in nine digs to finish second on the team.

Meanwhile, junior defensive specialists/liberos Madison Broering (Saint Henry) and McKenna Hostetler (Plain City/Alder) anchored the Polar Bears' backline with 14 digs apiece to tie for the team lead.

As a team, Ohio Northern hit .283 for the contest while the Flying Dutch posted a .150 attack percentage, paced offensively by McKenna Otto with 10 kills and a .381 kill rate.

ONU will conclude the tounament weekend Saturday, September 15 when the Polar Bears take on Mary Washington (Va.) and the invitational hosts, No. 4-ranked Wittenberg. Match times are set for 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, at Smith Arena in Springfield.