SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Wittenberg University will host the inaugural Tiger National Quad on Friday, Nov. 1, with matches at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 2, starting at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The teams will compete on two courts in Wittenbergs HPER Center.

Along with the host Tigers, Juniata, Mount St. Joseph and Washington University round out what is possibly the strongest regular season tournament field in the nation in 2002. All four teams are ranked among the top 11 teams in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III national poll. Washington University is No. 1 and undefeated at 30-0, a year after advancing to the national quarterfinals. Juniata is ranked No. 3 and carries a 26-2 overall record into this weekends action, a year after finishing third in the 2001 NCAA Division III tournament. Mount St. Joseph is ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region with an overall mark of 26-3.

Wittenberg is hardly a slouch, but in this tournament the Tigers will be playing the role of underdog. Ranked No. 11 in the latest poll, Wittenberg has a 26-7 overall record and a mark of 8-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Tigers have won the last six NCAC regular season titles, dating back to 1997, and they will take aim at a sixth straight conference tournament crown next week as the No. 1 seed. The Tigers captured first place in the Wittenberg Invitational and they also have four second-place finishes to their credit in 2002 tournaments at Mount St. Joseph, West Florida, Wittenberg National Invitational and Washington University. Last weekend, Wittenberg went 2-2 against nationally ranked teams at a tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

"We are thrilled about hosting a tournament of this caliber," said Wittenberg head coach Connie Surowicz, now in her ninth season with the Tigers. "The level of competition will be very intense, and we are excited to see how we will stack up."

The first round of the NCAC tournament is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and No. 1 seed Wittenberg will host eighth-seeded Earlham in a quarterfinal match-up. The tournament semifinals and finals are slated for Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at the site of the highest remaining seeded team, which would be Wittenberg should the Tigers defeat Earlham on Tuesday.

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