Roundup: Tigers Take Second Nationally, Dominating Three Tournaments So Far
Through the first few weeks of the 2004 season, the Wittenberg volleyball team is playing like the champions they hope to become by season's end.
Through the first few weeks of the 2004 season, the Wittenberg volleyball team is playing like the champions they hope to become by season's end. Ranked second in the nation and champions of the first three tournaments in which they competed, the Tigers now turn their sites to the Wittenberg Invitational II, an event at the HPER Center this weekend that involves four of the top teams in the Great Lakes Region this year.
Wittenberg, 10-1 overall, welcomes seven teams to Springfield this weekend, most notably Ohio Northern, ranked No. 7 in the nation. The two teams play at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III Tournament Great Lakes Regional championship match won by ONU in five exciting games.
The Tigers opened the 2004 season with a four-match sweep of the Juniata Tournament Sept. 3-4, including a key early season win over the host team, which is currently ranked third in the polls. The following weekend, Wittenberg won three straight to capture the top spot in the Wittenberg Invitational I. Last weekend, the Tigers extended their season-opening win streak to nine before falling to host Washington University, the defending national champion, in the Teri Clemens Invitational. Wittenberg was still awarded first place in the tourney, which featured four of the top 14 teams in the country, by virtue of tiebreaker criteria.
The Tigers got back on the winning track Wednesday in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener against Kenyon. Wittenberg is the preseason NCAC favorite again in 2004, hardly a surprise considering that the Tigers haven't lost a league match since 1997 and have won the last seven regular season and tournament titles.
Statistically, senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) tops the conference and ranks among the national leaders again in assists per game. The NCAA Division III record-holder for assists in a season, Yuskewich is averaging 14.87 helpers per game in 2004, and last week she became first player in NCAC history and the 17th player in NCAA Division history to surpass 5,000 assists for her career. As a result, Yuskewich was named NCAC and Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Week.
Senior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) was named NCAC Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after she led the Tigers in kills in all three Wittenberg Invitational I matches. She tops the team and ranks second in the NCAC in kills per game, a year after topping the Tigers in kills while filling in as an outside hitter.
Rounding things out, senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) is averaging 9.00 digs per game to lead the NCAC and rank in the top five nationally. The 2003 Libero of the Year, Schmid led the conference in digs and ranked third nationally in the category.