2011 News
Wittenberg University’s Department of Athletics can boast of a variety of outstanding team and individual athletic accomplishments during the 2011-12 school year, in addition to another stellar performance by Tiger student-athletes in the classroom.
Three months after the Wittenberg volleyball team made history, emotions around the team’s win were high again as the national championship banner was raised to the HPER Center rafters in the Pam Evans Smith Arena on campus, Feb. 11.
Nearly three months after raising the 2011 NCAA Division III championship trophy to thunderous cheers of a small but partisan crowd at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., Wittenberg University's volleyball team was honored much closer to home with a resolution read on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Wittenberg University's run to the 2011 NCAA Division III Championship, inspired by a cancer-stricken teammate, is the subject of a feature story included in the 2011 NCAA Fall Championships feature show.
Wittenberg University volleyball standout Kimmie Dyer, class of 2012 from Copley, Ohio, has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with third-team Capital One College Division Academic All-America honors.
After leading the Wittenberg Tigers to their first NCAA Division III volleyball championship, Head Coach Paco Labrador has been named 2011 National Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
When the final ball hit the floor in Wittenberg's 3-0 NCAA Division III Tournament championship victory over Christopher Newport, there was a release of energy from the Red & White clad horde behind the Tigers' bench that could be felt from coast to coast. Tiger fans everywhere joined in the celebration of Wittenberg's first NCAA Championship in 34 years.
After the biggest win of his coaching career, Wittenberg Volleyball Head Coach Paco Labrador paused to reflect upon how much the 3-0 win over Christopher Newport in the 2011 NCAA Division III National Championship match meant to all the players who helped build the Tiger program.
Wittenberg University seniors Kimmie Dyer and Hannah Riley were selected to represent their team and university as presenters at the 2011 NCAA Division III Volleyball Banquet, hosted by Washington University and the NCAA at the Ballpark Hilton in St. Louis, Mo., on Thursday, Nov. 17. An excerpt of their presentation follows, as Kimmie and Hannah offered a glimpse into the world of Tiger volleyball and the obstacles the team faced on the road to the national tournament:
The third try wasn't the charm for the Wittenberg Tiger volleyball team. Four years later, it was the fourth try.
It is possible that the perfectionist in Wittenberg volleyball head coach Paco Labrador could still find something not to like in the final boxscore of his team's 3-0 NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinal victory over California Lutheran. But he will have to look long and hard.
The Wittenberg volleyball team is in St. Louis this weekend primarily in search of a national championship, but the Tigers took some time to team up with the NCAA and the St. Louis Sports Commission to lend a helping hand to Good Shepherd Children and Family Services.
Wittenberg University volleyball standouts Katie Sumner, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio, Kimmie Dyer, class of 2012 from Copley, Ohio, and Christina Gilene, class of 2013 from Milford, Ohio, have earned All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
The third time was definitely a charm for the Wittenberg Tigers. Eliminated by Calvin College in the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Division III Tournaments, the Tigers turned the tables on the Knights, 3-1, to advance to their first national quarterfinal since 2007.
A convincing 3-0 sweep of 13th-ranked Heidelberg moved the fifth-ranked Wittenberg Tigers into their ninth NCAA Division III Tournament regional championship match.
Wittenberg University volleyball standout Kimmie Dyer, class of 2012 from Copley, Ohio, has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team Capital One Academic All-America College Division All-District 7 honors.