Sarah Yuskewich
Through three weeks of the 2003 season, the Tiger volleyball program has once against established itself as one of the best in the nation. Competing against one of the most challenging schedules in the nation, Wittenberg has posted a solid 6-4 record despite injuries to top players Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and Linda Young (Minster, Ohio/Minster).
In the season-opening Wittenberg National Invitational I, the Tigers defeated John Carroll 3-0 before losing to NAIA scholarship program Georgetown (Ky.) 3-1 and preseason NCAA Division III No. 2 ranked Juniata 3-1.
The second weekend of the 2003 season included two wins in three matches at the Ohio Northern Invitational. Wittenberg won their opener against the 12th-ranked host Polar Bears, 3-1, before losing the next match against another nationally ranked foe, Mount St. Joseph, 3-0. On Saturday, Wittenberg rebounded to post wins over Muskingum, a 2002 NCAA Division III Tournament team, and Franklin by identical 3-0 scores.
Last weekend, the Tigers went to Washington University in St. Louis and came away with another impressive set of results. On Friday, Wittenberg upset defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, 3-1. On Saturday, the Tigers defeated seventh-ranked Central (Iowa) 3-0 before falling to the top-ranked host team 3-0 in the final match of the weekend.
With 443 assists on the still-young season, junior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), who broke the NCAA Division III record for assists in a season with 2,125 in the 2002 season, broke the school record for assists in a career. At her current pace, she has an excellent chance to reach the NCAA Division III record for assists in a career.
Yuskewich leads the NCAC in assists per game by a wide margin at 13.03. Junior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) is second in the conference and first on the team in kills per game at 3.74. Junior Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) tops the NCAC in digs per game by a wide margin at 7.68. Yuskewich and Schmid both rank among the top 10 in the nation in their respective categories.