GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The North Coast Athletic Conference has been the personal playground of the Wittenberg Tiger volleyball program for years. Then in 2005, the Hiram Terriers won a regular season match to end on long Wittenberg streak, and in 2006, the Terriers nipped the Tigers in the NCAC Tournament final to end a decade-long championship run.
Perhaps Hiram will end Wittenberg's dominance in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region someday as well. However, that day was not Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, as the Tigers pulled out a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Terriers in the first of two regional semifinal matches at Calvin College.
The win improved Wittenberg to 33-7 overall on the season, and it moved the Tigers into the NCAA Division III Round of 16 for the fifth straight year. Wittenberg will take on the Calvin Knights, a 3-1 winner over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Hope in Friday's second semifinal. The match, slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, also in Calvin Fieldhouse, is a re-match of last year's 3-0 regional final win by Wittenberg. However, that event took place on the Tigers' home floor in Springfield.
For the second straight week, these two teams played a taught five-game match that was nothing short of a dead heat from a statistical standpoint. Heading into the fifth game, Wittenberg had won just one more point in the entire match. Unlike the Nov. 4 NCAC Tournament title match at Wittenberg, the Tigers turned it up a notch, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit and then breaking things open with nine of the last 10 points after holding a slim 6-5 advantage.
A key to the Tigers' success is junior setter Sarah Matesich (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic). The emotional leader of this team, Matesich did a lot of little things well when her team needed her most, finishing with 31 assists, three kills (in five attempts with no errors) and four digs. She did all that despite a nagging foot injury.
Offensively, the Tigers spread things out as they normally do, with sophomore outside hitter Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) leading the way with 18 kills and a .457 attack percentage. While their attack percentages were lower, junior outside hitters Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance) and Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) were also solid with 17 kills apiece. Bell added 26 digs and Kehres finished with 20 digs, three aces and three blocks.