Tigers Win Seventh Straight NCAC Regular Season Championship

Wittenberg wins 18th NCAC title with 3-0 victory over Allegheny to earn hosting rights for NCAC Tournament Nov. 2-3.

Senior Christina Gilene became the fifth player in Wittenberg history to compile 2,000 career digs during a 3-0 win over Allegheny Saturday. File Photo | Erin Pence
Senior Christina Gilene became the fifth player in Wittenberg history to compile 2,000 career digs during a 3-0 win over Allegheny Saturday. File Photo | Erin Pence
October 20, 2012
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - For the seventh straight year and the 18th time since Wittenberg joined the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), the Tigers stand atop the final regular season volleyball standings after closing the 2012 campaign out with a 3-0 win over Allegheny.

The third-ranked Tigers improved to 18-4 overall and 8-0 in the NCAC with the win. Wittenberg has won 35 sraight NCAC regular season games since a 2010 loss at Hiram, and the Tigers earned the right to host the conference tournament Nov. 2-3.

Wittenberg is riding a 10-match winning streak in NCAC Tournament play, with the Tigers' last loss coming in 2006 in five sets on their home floor against Hiram.

The win was Wittenberg's 25th in a row against Allegheny, dating back to 1996. Combined with a loss shortly afterward against Marietta as part of a tri-match hosted by Wittenberg, the Gators fell to 6-22 overall and 2-6 in the NCAC.

The highlight of the match statistically for Wittenberg was a career achievement for senior libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas). She recorded 21 digs in the match to move past 2,000 for her collegiate career. She is just the fifth Tiger to surpass 2,000 career digs.

Offensively, the Tigers had little trouble with the Gators, who did not record a team block in the match. Freshman Haley Mucha (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) paced Wittenberg with 10 kills and a .529 attack percentage. The Tigers had 10 different players finish with at least one kill in the match, while senior Jordan Mungovan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) topped both teams in assists with 30.