The Wittenberg men's volleyball program had a pivotal weekend, as they won a 5-set thriller over Calvin University this past Saturday to claim their first MCVL conference championship, and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history.
By virtue of its 8-1 conference record and ending the regular season on a nine-game win streak, the Tigers earned a share of the regular season title, the program's third in the last four years. The team was granted home-court advantage for the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League tournament. They were also granted the #1 seed and hosted the tournament in Pam Evans Smith Arena where four teams competed for the tournament championship.
The Tigers previously hosted the tournament in 2024, where they lost 3-1 to Trine in the tournament finals. They fell early last season in the semi-finals against Baldwin-Wallace when the tournament was hosted by Mount Union.
Wittenberg got their redemption quickly and played #4 seed Baldwin Wallace last Friday, en route to a shutdown 3-0 victory with scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-15, easily reaching the tournament finals.
Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Harrison Mitchell led the team with eight kills. The score was followed closely by senior outside hitter Michael Yurk with seven kills, and junior middle blocker Reese Monnin and sophomore middle blocker Patterson Reed with six kills each. Reed himself led the team in blocks with five. Senior outside hitter Eli Halverson led the team with nine digs, as well as adding on five kills.
Their opponent in the finals was #3 seed Calvin, who defeated #2 seed Trine in a 3-0 sweep the day prior. Calvin, in just their third season with a men's volleyball program, was making their first appearance in the MCVL tournament. The Tigers had previously lost to Calvin earlier in the 2026 season, losing 3-0 to the Knights.
Calvin started out strong by winning the first set, 25-18, and the Tigers rebounded in a back-and-forth 2nd set, winning 31-29. Calvin clicked off a set victory in the third set, 25-22, then the Tigers won the final two sets with scores of 25-16 and 15-9, en route to the MCVL Championship.
Mitchell again led the team in kills in the matchup against Calvin, with 18. Halverson himself had an incredible effort, with 15 kills, 16 digs, 16 points and a solo block. Senior libero Jake Downs led the team with 17 digs. Other notable performances included Reed with four blocks, Monnin with seven kills, six digs and two blocks, freshman setter Gavin Hagerty with 10 digs and a team-high 29 assists, sophomore setter Carson Hill with seven digs and 23 assists, and senior outside hitter Trajan Kress and sophomore opposite hitter Zach Newton with 10 kills each.
Three Tigers achieved MCVL All-Tournament team honors, including Halverson, Downs, and Mitchell, who achieved tournament MVP honors.
The Tigers ended the season with a 21-5 overall record and 8-1 conference record in their championship campaign. They are currently riding a 11-game win streak, dating back to their Feb. 28 matchup at Greenville. With their tournament win, they got a NCAA Division III tournament automatic bid and will be playing their first match in the first-round against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Thursday, April 16 at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA.
A program with several seasons of hard work has led to their first conference title victory, and they look to continue their momentum in Huntingdon and make a run for the Division III national championship.
