Tigers Host Hurricane Victim Clothing Drive As Part Of Tournament

Jan Kehres (No. 4) has been outstanding in 2005, her first season as a starter for Wittenberg.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Although the Wittenberg University volleyball team is focused on its season, the members of the third-ranked Tigers haven't lost perspective. As part of this weekend's first annual Border Battle, featuring the top NCAA Division III teams in Ohio and Michigan in a unique round robin format, a clothing drive will be conducted to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Players on each team have committed to bring articles of new or gently-used clothing to contribute to the Wittenberg team's clothing drive. With eight teams participating in the two-day competition, Tiger Head Coach Paco Labrador estimates that at least 100 articles of clothing are guaranteed to be collected for the relief effort. Additional articles of clothing will be collected at the doors of the HPER Center, Wittenberg's home volleyball facility. Spectators who make contributions will gain free admission into the tournament.

"Volleyball players are notorious for having closets full of t-shirts, sweatshirts and warm-ups that accumulate over years of playing," Labrador said. "As a team we felt we could help those in need, and we knew this weekend would be a good opportunity to invite the teams and spectators to share some good will with the victims of Hurricane Katrina."

Four rounds of Border Battle matches will start at 2 p.m. on Friday and conclude with matches scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday, four rounds of matches will start at 9:30 a.m. and conclude with matches starting at 3:30 p.m.

The Border Battle is the first of two regular season tournaments that Wittenberg will host during the 2005 season. The Tigers will be joined on the Ohio side of the competition by Ohio Northern University, the College of Mount St. Joseph and Hiram College. Those four squads, three of which are ranked in the top 10 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, will square off against the Michigan side, comprised of Alma College, Kalamazoo College, Hope College and Calvin College.

"The Border Battle is guaranteed to be two days of heated, championship-caliber NCAA Division III volleyball," Labrador said. "Michigan and Ohio are both exceptional volleyball states from high school to club and all levels of college. Bragging rights are on the line this weekend.

"I think one of the big draws for this tournament is the idea of 'teaming up' and rooting for programs that are usually rivals. Hope and Calvin, for example, have a long tradition as intense rivals, but this weekend members of those teams and their fans can cheer for one another."

The host Tigers are off to a 4-2 start to the 2005 season, the third under Labrador. Wittenberg is coming off a 35-3 season in 2004, one that included North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. Led by sophomore outside hitters Emily Bell of Fort Wayne, Ind., Lindsey Penrod of Piqua, Ohio, and Jan Kehres of Alliance, Ohio, the Tigers have picked up right where they left off a year ago, despite the loss of the finest graduating class in program history, which included four All-Americans.

Wittenberg, Mount St. Joseph, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champions seven straight years, and Ohio Northern, the top team in the Ohio Athletic Conference the last five years, have taken turns winning the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region championship in recent years. The Tigers have claimed two of the last three titles. Hiram has been the NCAC runner-up each of the last two years, and in 2005 the Terriers have a veteran team picked by some to end Wittenberg's conference title run at nine straight.

Alma, Kalamazoo, Calvin and Hope are the top four teams in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Alma won the last two conference titles and ranked in the top 25 nationally for most of the 2004 season. The Scots, however, are off to a 2-7 start in 2005, although they defeated Kalamazoo, which is 4-4 thus far, in five games to improve to 2-0 in the MIAA. Calvin is 6-1 with a lone loss to Hope, which is 8-2 in the early going of the 2005 campaign.

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