Four Tiger Volleyball Standouts Earn All-Region Honors

Amy Cox

Katie Sumner

Miranda Sagle

Christina Gilene

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University volleyball standouts Amy Cox, class of 2011 from Newark, Ohio, Miranda Sagle, class of 2012 from Springfield, Ohio, Katie Sumner, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio, and Christina Gilene, class of 2013 from Milford, Ohio, have earned All-Great Lakes Region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

This is the first all-region honor for each of the four student-athletes, as Cox, Sagle and Sumner claimed places on the first-team and Gilene picked up honorable mention honors. Student-athletes who make the first-team in regional voting will now be considered for All-America awards, which are announced at the AVCA's annual banquet the night before the national quarterfinal matches, hosted this year by Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Cox successfully made the switch from right-side hitter to setter in 2010 and flourished, leading the Tigers and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) with 1,025 assists and ranking among the team leaders in kills (110), aces (19), digs (178) and blocks (32). She earned first-team All-NCAC honors after garnering second-team All-NCAC at her previous position a year ago, in addition to second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District IV in recognition of the combination of athletic and academic accomplishments. Cox also was named 2010 NCAC Tournament MVP.

Sagle enjoyed a breakout season in 2010, her first season as a starter. She finished third on the team with 207 kills on just 404 attempts for a phenomenal .416 attack percentage, which shattered the school and conference records. Also a first-team All-NCAC honoree in 2010, Sagle also led the Tigers with 89 blocks, including 23 solos.

Sumner was steady all season, emerging as a force both offensively and defensive in 2010. She ranked second on the team with 220 kills and her .387 attack percentage was also better than the previous school and conference records. She added a team-high 37 service aces, and her 79 total blocks ranked second on the team. Sumner earned first-team All-NCAC for a second straight year in 2010.

Gilene was a full-time starter at the critical libero position for a second straight year in 2010, but her improvement was one of the keys to the Tigers' eight-win improvement. Her athleticism was on full display as she racked up a team-best 551 digs and made just 22 serve reception errors in 457 chances. Gilene added 27 service aces, second-most on the team, and 68 assists, third-most on the team.

The Tigers finished the 2010 season with a 32-3 overall record after losing to Calvin in the championship match of the Springfield, Ohio Regional on Saturday, Nov. 13. Wittenberg earned its 15th straight NCAA Division III Tournament bid (16th overall) by winning the NCAC Tournament title for a 16th time since the Tigers joined the league in 1989. Wittenberg tied Hiram at 13-1 atop the NCAC regular season standings, also the Tigers' 16th title.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence

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