Wittenberg Women's Volleyball Ranked 11th in AVCA Preseason Poll

Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg University Women's Volleyball team has been ranked 11^th in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll. The Tigers closed out the 2016 season with their 22^nd regular season North Coast Athletic Conference championship, before winning their 10^th consecutive NCAC tournament title. The NCAA Division III Tournament took the 2016 Wittenberg women's team to top ranked Calvin College for the opening round, where the Tigers defeated Bethany 3-0 before falling to Milikin 3-2.

The Tigers produced wins against ranked teams such as; #1 California Lutheran, #2 Juniata, #9 Christopher Newport, #17 Christopher Newport, and #21 Carnegie Mellon throughout the 2016 regular season. This year's Wittenberg team will look to do the same, taking on perennial powers like #2 Emory, #3 WashU, #21 Elmhurst and#22 Ohio Northern.

Maddie Fischer returns as the lone senior in 2017, after the Minerva, Ohio native became the sixth Tiger to earn AVCA All-American First Team Honors in 2016. Fischer also added First Team All-NCAC and Regional All-Tournament to her list of accolades.

The NCAC's top hitter, Aubrey Cox, returns for her sophomore season, after earning All-NCAC First Team honors and NCAC Newcomer of the Year award in 2016. Cox joins fellow Wittenberg volleyball standout Kara Seidenstricker as the only Tigers who have earned AVCA Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year, AVCA Division III Freshman of the Year and Division III All-American Honorable Mention.

In his 13 years at the helm, Coach Paco Labrador has accumulated 37 NCAA Division III tournament wins including one National Championship title (2011) and one National Championship Runner-Up title (2015). Labrador has also earned multiple top coaching honors, including; two Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year awards (2004, 2007) and seven NCAC Coach of the Year awards.

Labrador was inducted into Miami of Ohio's Prestigious Cradle of Coaches last September. Miami's Cradle of Coaches includes 21 National Coaches of the Year recipients at both the collegiate and professional levels. Labrador is the winningest coach in all of NCAA Division III collegiate volleyball and second across all divisions (.868 winning percentage).

Wittenberg plays host to their National Invitational Tournament on September 1 and September 2, kicking off the 2017 campaign. 

With a membership of over 6,400 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers.