SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Newly annointed as the No. 2 team in NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, the Wittenberg Tigers backed that lofty status up with a convincing 3-0 win over Kenyon in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday night in Springfield, Ohio.

Wittenberg controlled the action from start to finish, and every player on the roster saw action. Statistically, few standouts emerged, in large part because of the balanced playing time. Senior libero Emilie Schmid finished with 20 digs, freshman outside hitter Jan Kehres topped the offense with nine kills and senior setter Sarah Yuskewich was the team's top server with a pair of aces.

The Tigers, who have not lost an NCAC match since 1997 and are seven-time defending conference regular season and tournament champions, take on Allegheny at 4:30 p.m. Friday in early action of the Wittenberg Invitational II. It figures to be a big weekend for Wittenberg, with three following matches against regional powerhouses Calvin, Baldwin-Wallace and Ohio Northern also on tap. The marquee match-up figures to be the Ohio Northern tilt slated for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. ONU defeated Wittenberg in a five-game regional final last year.