November 15, 2002
7 p.m. -- #1 Wittenberg (33-7) def. #4 Ohio Northern
(23-10)
3-0 (30-25, 30-26, 30-24) - Box Score
The Wittenberg Tigers, seeded first in the Great Lakes region after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, came on strong at the most important times Friday night to capture a semifinal round victory over No. 4 seed Ohio Northern, 3-0. The win moves the Tigers, who are now 33-7 overall and ranked No. 3 in the country in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, into the regional championship match for the fourth time in school history. Wittenberg takes on two-time defending regional champion Mount St. Joseph Saturday at 7 p.m. at the HPER Center.
Wittenberg, which avenged a loss to Ohio Northern in this round of last year's NCAA Division III tournament, got an absolutely outstanding performance from sophomore setter Sarah Yuskewich, who distributed 50 assists and 20 digs to the Tigers' cause. Her primary offensive target was sophomore outside hitter Monica McDonald, who pounded 16 kills to lead both teams. Joining McDonald in double digits offensively were senior Teresa Murphy with 13 kills, junior Lindsay Nelson with 11 and senior middle hitter Tiffany Keller with 10. Three players reached double figures in digs, including sophomore libero Emilie Schmid's 20 and Murphy's 14.
Ohio Northern, which won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title and came into the tournament ranked No. 11 nationally, got 45 assists from Erika Roof, who was playing in her hometown of Springfield. Defensively, the star for the Polar Bears was Molly Schrader, who contributed 29 digs. Offensively, three players reached double figures in kills: Hannah Kanuckel with 15, Tara Anderson with 12 and Diane Gehret with 11.
3-0 (30-25, 30-26, 30-24) - Box Score
The Wittenberg Tigers, seeded first in the Great Lakes region after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, came on strong at the most important times Friday night to capture a semifinal round victory over No. 4 seed Ohio Northern, 3-0. The win moves the Tigers, who are now 33-7 overall and ranked No. 3 in the country in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, into the regional championship match for the fourth time in school history. Wittenberg takes on two-time defending regional champion Mount St. Joseph Saturday at 7 p.m. at the HPER Center.
Wittenberg, which avenged a loss to Ohio Northern in this round of last year's NCAA Division III tournament, got an absolutely outstanding performance from sophomore setter Sarah Yuskewich, who distributed 50 assists and 20 digs to the Tigers' cause. Her primary offensive target was sophomore outside hitter Monica McDonald, who pounded 16 kills to lead both teams. Joining McDonald in double digits offensively were senior Teresa Murphy with 13 kills, junior Lindsay Nelson with 11 and senior middle hitter Tiffany Keller with 10. Three players reached double figures in digs, including sophomore libero Emilie Schmid's 20 and Murphy's 14.
Ohio Northern, which won the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title and came into the tournament ranked No. 11 nationally, got 45 assists from Erika Roof, who was playing in her hometown of Springfield. Defensively, the star for the Polar Bears was Molly Schrader, who contributed 29 digs. Offensively, three players reached double figures in kills: Hannah Kanuckel with 15, Tara Anderson with 12 and Diane Gehret with 11.