Tigers Open Season With Courtyard by Marriott National Invitational

Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg University volleyball team, ranked fifth in the 2012 preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III poll after winning their first-ever national championship in 2011, welcomes three top-quality opponents for the annual Courtyard by Marriott Wittenberg National Invitational Friday and Saturday, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

The Courtyard by Marriott Wittenberg National Invitational is the first of two regular season tournaments Wittenberg is scheduled to host during the 2012 season. The Tigers, who have qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament each of the last 17 years, will be joined 24th-ranked Trinity University (Texas), Wartburg College and Whitworth College. Wartburg and Whitworth both received votes in the AVCA preseason poll.

Two matches are scheduled for Friday, starting at 5 p.m. in Wittenberg's Pam Evans Smith Arena. Four matches will take place Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. and culminating with the match-up between Wittenberg and Trinity at 5:30 p.m.

"It's great to have such a competitive and geographically diverse tournament to start out the 2012 season," said Wittenberg Head Coach Paco Labrador, who enters 2012 with a 296-41 record, which is the best career winning percentage of any active NCAA Division III coach (.878). "Different regions bring various styles of play. I'm sure each team will come away from this weekend feeling like they have gained valuable experiences from which to build their season."

The Tigers are coming off a magical 2011 season that included a 37-3 overall record, just one win off the school record of 38 set in 2007. Along the way, Wittenberg won its 17th North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season championship while extending its conference domination to 157 wins in the last 159 matches, stretching back to the 1997 season. The 16-0 NCAC regular season record earned the Tigers their eighth title in Labrador's nine seasons and the 17th title in the last 20 years for Wittenberg overall.

After capturing their 17th NCAC Tournament title, including 14 in the last 15 years, the Tigers hit the road to capture the NCAA Division III Tournament crown in most unlikely fashion. Wittenberg traveled to No. 1-ranked Calvin to defeat Rose-Hulman, Heidelberg and the 2010 NCAA Division III champion Knights before heading to St. Louis, where the Tigers swept California Lutheran, Eastern (Pa.) and Christopher Newport to raise the famed Walnut & Bronze trophy for the first time.

The Field:

• Wartburg posted records of 24-11 overall and 7-1 in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2011, finishing second in the regular season title chase and losing in the tournament semifinals. The Knights return four starters and a total of six letterwinners in 2012.

• Trinity is annually one of the top teams in NCAA Division III. The Tigers enter 2012 with four starters and 10 letterwinners back after finishing 22-16 overall and 8-6 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference a year ago.

• Whitworth finished 19-7 overall a year ago and won its second straight Northwest Conference championship. The Pirates return 10 letterwinners in 2012.

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