HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Wittenberg Tigers got the 2006 season off to a promising 3-1 start during the Labor Day weekend, recording 3-0 wins over Gettysburg, Christopher Newport and Muskingum but also losing to the host Juniata Eagles.
The Tigers wound up in second place in the 2006 ASICS Invitational while placing two players on the all-tournament team. Junior outside hitter Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) was the team leader in kills and finished with a .229 hitting percentage to get the mention. Sophomore libero Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) joined Bell after leading the team in digs.
Wittenberg opened the two-day competition with a 3-0 win over Gettysburg by game scores of 30-23, 30-19, 30-23. Sophomore outside hitter Jackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) pounded 16 kills and Fender and Bell combined for 21 digs between them.
In the Friday nightcap, the Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, dropped a 3-0 decision to Juniata, the preseason No. 1 team, by game scores of 30-23, 30-15, 30-21. In a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III Tournament semifinal match in Salem, Va., which also went the Eagles' way, Bell finished with four kills and Williams and junior middle hitter Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) added three blocks each.
On Saturday, Wittenberg bounced right back. Augustus recorded four solo blocks, Fender added three aces and Bell had her first double-double (kills-digs) of the 2006 season in a 3-0 win over Christopher Newport (game scores of 30-25, 30-18, 30-20). The Tigers wrapped up runner-up honors with a 3-0 win over Muskingum, which had defeated Wittenbeg a year ago in a tournament at Gettysburg, by game scores of 30-17, 30-28, 30-22. Williams led the way with 12 kills, while Fender was solid defensively with a 22-dig performance.