---

Emilie Schmid

The Wittenberg volleyball team heads into the final weekend of the 2004 season in need of one thing - continued momentum. The second-ranked Tigers have played extremely well all season, but after this weekend, they can't afford any more slip-ups if they are going to reach their ultimate goal of an NCAA Division III national championship.

The Wittenberg Volleyball Invitational III is scheduled for this weekend as a final tune-up. A total of six schools are involved as Muskingum, Wooster, Mount Union, Franklin and Capital join Wittenberg to comprise a solid six-team field.

The Tigers are putting the finishing touches on the most successful regular season in school history. A core group of five seniors has put everything together this year and has led the team to an astounding 27-2 overall record, including a mark of 8-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for a 10th straight regular season championship. Wittenberg will host the NCAC Tournament for an eighth straight year on Nov. 5-6, and the Tigers are the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region, which includes two other programs ranked in the top eight nationally. Wittenberg's record against teams ranked in the current top 25 is 7-2, with the only two losses coming on the opposing team's home court in the final match of a weekend tournament.

Last weekend, Wittenberg went 3-1 in the Emory National Invitational, defeating Meredith, Berry and nationally ranked California State-Hayward before falling to host Emory in the tourney's final match. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) all earned mention on the all-tournament team.

Yuskewich, who holds the school and conference records for assists in a season and a career, has added the school record for career blocks with 323, moving past Laura Mayer, who had 319 from 1996-99. She leads the NCAC and ranks among the top five nationally in assists per game at 14.32 and she is second on the team in blocks with 74. At her current pace, Yuskewich will likely reach the top three in NCAA Division III history for career assists.

Schmid holds the school and conference records for digs in a career, and she is on pace to shatter both marks for assists in a season in 2004. With 804 digs and a per-game average of 8.55, Schmid is just 31 digs away from the school and NCAC record of 835 digs in a season by Kim Woodring in 1996, and at her current pace, she has an opportunity to challenge the national record of 1,110. She also has moved into the top 10 in the NCAA Division III record books for career digs.