Ohio Northern Rolls Through NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship Match With 3-1 Win Over Washington University

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - There will be a new NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball champion in 2008. Ohio Northern won its 26th match in a row - including three in a row in the Great Lakes Regional Tournament at Wittenberg University - with a stunning 3-1 victory over defending national champion Washington University.

The Polar Bears, ranked eighth nationally at the start of the tournament and seeded No. 3 in the regional bracket, struck quickly, racing out to leads of 6-1 and 9-3 in Set 1 to set the tone for the match. Attacking at a .444 clip, ONU dominated the first set, and the drop-off was only slight in the second set as the Polar Bears checked in at .333. The set scores of 25-15 and 25-20 reflected the outstanding offensive display.

Washington University, playing without All-American right-side hitter Nikki Morrison, who appeared to injure her wrist early in the second set, rallied in Set 3, thanks to 15 team kills and an attack percentage of .357 - markedly higher than any of the other three sets. But after Washington University captured the third set 25-20, ONU came right back, staking an early lead and holding onto it for a 25-19 victory and the match.

Ohio Northern diversified its offense, getting 25 or more attack attempts from four different players, but the Tournament Most Valuable Player was unquestionably middle hitter Liz Schnelle. She picked up the award after collecting 22 kills and an attack percentage of .432. Joining her on the all-tournament team were setter Katie Weininger, who dished out 42 assists and added five kills and eight digs to the stat sheet, and middle hitter Samantha Markham, who finished with eight kills and five blocks.

The Polar Bear defense was almost as astounding, with five different players finishing with at least six digs and the team accumulating six blocks. ONU also committed just three serve receive errors.

Washington University, which saw its season end with a record of 32-7, was represented on the all-tournament team by middle hitter Erin Albers and setter Audra Janak, who dished out 48 assists and also added four kills and nine digs to her stats line. Libero Laura Brazeal was outstanding defensively with 28 digs, while Albers was tops in blocks with five.

The Bears offense was paced by Erin Kasson with 14 kills and a .458 attack percentage, while Albers added 11 kills and Ali Crouch finished with 12.

Ohio Northern, which improved to 33-4 on the season, will now advance to the national quarterfinals on Nov. 20 at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.