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Sarah Yuskewich

The Wittenberg volleyball team is warming up at just the right time. After getting off to a 6-4 start while competing against a brutal early-season schedule, the Tigers have reeled off seven straight victories, including the first three in North Coast Athletic Conference action.

The six-time defending NCAC regular season and tournament titlists have not given up a game, much less a match, in more than two weeks. Included in that time span are four matches against top-flight competition in the Wittenberg Invitational last weekend.

In that invitational, Wittenberg defeated Defiance, which was previously unbeaten in 11 matches this season, Calvin, the favorite in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and Ithaca, the top team in its conference this season and annually a qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament, in pool play by 3-0 scores. Then in the championship match, the Tigers dismantled regional rival Ohio Northern 3-0. The Polar Bears are the defending Ohio Athletic Conference champions and came into the tourney ranked No. 13 in the nation.

For her performance in the tournament, junior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) was named NCAC Player of the Week. All she did was average 15 assists per game in the four matches and lead her team to four wins by comfortable margins. Her best showing came against ONU, a match in which she totaled 46 assists.

Other top statistical performances were turned in by junior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion), who twice pounded 13 kills in a match and finished with 45 total kills, junior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), who had at least 16 digs in each game, including 29 in the championship match, and 12 kills each in the win over Calvin from senior outside hitters Lindsay Nelson (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) and Michelle Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame).

The Tigers return to NCAC action this weekend with a tri-match at home against Oberlin and Wooster. Then Wittenberg takes on Ohio Wesleyan next Wednesday, followed by the Wittenberg National Invitational II, which includes eight top-quality teams, including nationally ranked Mount St. Joseph, Elmhurst, Washington University and Wartburg.