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Emily Dixon

It wasn't the ending to the 2003 season the Tigers had envisioned, but the Wittenberg volleyball team has no reason to hang their heads. The Tigers, ranked fifth in the final American Volleyball Coaches Assocation regular season poll, lost to 12th-ranked Ohio Northern University in the NCAA Division III Tournament Great Lakes Regional final on Saturday night.

It's hard to imagine two teams more evenly matched. Playing before an estimated crowd of 800 fans screaming themselves hoarse in Wittenberg's HPER Center, the Bears escaped with a dramatic 3-2 win to claim the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship and advance to the Tournament Quarterfinals.

Wittenberg jumped in front with a convincing win in the first game as junior Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) distributed 17 of her game-high 68 assists and the Tigers posted an outstanding .312 attack percentage. In the second game, Yuskewich had 18 more assists and sophomore Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) had six kills, but fans got a taste of the tense things to come as the two teams battled through a remarkable seesaw game.

In Game 3, the tides began to turn as ONU's attack percentage rose to .250. Game 4 followed much of the same script as ONU jumped out in front early and stayed in front the rest of the way. Then came Game 5, a fine back-and-forth affair before Wittenberg took a 14-12 lead and served for the match. However, ONU won three straight points to take a one-point lead. After a kill by Michelle Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) tied things at 15, the Bears ended it with a pair of kills.

Statistically, Yuskewich had 68 assists and 23 digs, junior Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) finished with 27 kills, senior Lindsay Nelson (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) had 19 kills, Dixon had 17 kills and seven total blocks (six solo), and four players finished in double figures in digs, led by Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) with 28.

In Friday's semifinal match, the Tigers swept their way into the championship game with a 3-0 (30-22, 32-30, 30-15) win over Alma College. The Tigers were dominant in the first and third games, but they had to rally a bit in Game 2. Alma took a 25-22 lead before the Tigers rallied back and eventually took a 30-29 lead on a kill by Dixon. After the teams traded points, Michelle Emming hammered home the game-winner for Wittenberg, and the momentum carried into Game 3 as the Tigers won handily. Wittenberg put four players in double figures in kills, led by Nelson with 13. Fox and Michelle Emming each posted kill totals of 11 and Dixon added 10 kills. Yuskewich chipped in with 37 assists and 10 digs. Defensively, five players finished in double figures in digs, led by 22 from Schmid and 16 from Jennifer Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame).

Also last week, postseason North Coast Athletic Conference honors were handed out, and as usual Wittenberg cleaned up. Yuskewich was named Player of the Year for a second straight year, while Schmid took home the first Libero of the Year honor. Fox joined them on the All-NCAC first-team, while Nelson and Michelle Emming made the second team.