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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team, ranked second in the nation after a phenomenal 33-2 regular season, has earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 10th time in school history and the ninth year in a row. The Tigers received a bye as the No. 1 seeded team in the Great Lakes Regional bracket and will take on the winner of a first-round match between Alma College and Benedictine University at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.
The host Polar Bears also received a first-round bye and will face the winner of a first-round match between Mount St. Joseph and Notre Dame (MD) at 7 p.m. on Friday. The regional championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. The national quarterfinals are set for Saturday, Nov. 20, and the Final Four is slated for Nov. 26-27, at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn. Tickets for the regional tournament matches are $4 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children 12 and under.
A core group of five seniors has put everything together for the Tigers this year and led the team to the finest regular season in school history with a record of 33-2 and 8-0 in the NCAC, good for a 10th straight regular season championship. Leading the charge, senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), the conference leader in assists and assists per game, earned NCAC Tournament MVP for a second straight year. Already a two-time All-American and two-time NCAC Player of the Year, Yuskewich holds school and conference records for assists in a career and a season, and she is on pace to reach the top five in NCAA Division III history for career assists. Senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), the conference leader in digs and digs per game, was the 2003 NCAC Libero of the Year and an honorable mention All-America honoree a year ago. She holds the school and conference records for digs in a season and a career, and she is on pace to reach the top 10 in NCAA Division III history for digs in a career and a season. In addition, senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and senior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) rank among the NCAC leaders in kills and have earned All-America honors in past years, and senior defensive specialist Aubrey Anderson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) has developed into one of the Tigers' most consistent servers.
The Great Lakes Regional figures to be one of the most difficult in the nation with four ranked teams among the six in the bracket. The Tigers are No. 2, Ohio Northern, champion of the Ohio Athletic Conference, is No. 5, Mount St. Joseph, champion of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, is No. 8, and Alma, runner-up in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament, is No. 18. Wittenberg's record against teams ranked in the current top 25 is 8-2, with the only two losses coming on the opposing team's home court in the final match of a weekend tournament. The only team in the Great Lakes Regional that Wittenberg played during the regular season was Ohio Northern, which the Tigers defeated 3-0 on Sept. 25 in the Wittenberg Invitational II.
The Tigers have reached the Sweet 16 five times in school history and the national quarterfinals once, in 2002. Wittenberg's all-time record in NCAA Division III Tournament action is 7-9.
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