SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - There were highlights aplenty for the Wittenberg Tigers Friday as the Wittenberg Fall Classic got under way in the HPER Center.
The action opened with a 3-0 victory over Allegheny College, a win that clinched a share of the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title. The crown is Wittenberg's 11th in the last 12 years. The Tigers appear to have the tiebreakers in their favor heading into Saturday's NCAC finale against Hiram, although a win over the Terriers is certainly the preferred method for wrapping up the season.
After the Wittenberg regulars put in their work against Allegheny, Head Coach Paco Labrador decided to take on Urbana, an NAIA scholarship program, with a lineup comprised almost entirely of reserve players. They couldn't have responded better, rallying for a thrilling 3-2 win.
As if clinching a conference title, beating a neighboring scholarship program and extending their win streak to 10 straight matches wasn't enough, the Tigers got to celebrate an individual accomplishment as well. Junior outside hitter Emily Bell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) banged home seven kills during the Allegheny match, pushing her to 1,001 for her career. She became just the 10th player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.
Against Allegheny, the Tigers trailed by at least one point in each game, but they recovered nicely to capture them 30-27, 30-12, 30-20. Sophomore outside hitterJackie Williams (Rocky River, Ohio/Magnificat) was all but automatic offensively, finishing with 12 kills in just 15 attempts. Three players finished with seven kills apiece - Bell and juniors Caitlin Augustus (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) andLindsey Penrod (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua) - while sophomore libero Laura Fender (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) led the defense with 17 digs. Augustus added four blocks.
The nightcap was magical for a group of players who served notice they will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come. Freshman setter Kendall Obreza (Gainesville, Fla./Oak Hall) distributed a team season-high 61 assists, finding a trio of classmates primarily. Freshman Leslie Clark (Marion, Ohio/Harding) led with 16 kills, freshman Alison Thompson (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) added 14 kills and freshman Kate Snead (Westerville, Ohio/South) chipped in with 13 kills, to go along with a game-high nine blocks.
Sophomore Kathleen Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/Toledo St. Ursula) led the team defensively, finishing with a career-best 29 digs. Freshman Sara Heider (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) added 28 digs and freshman Brittany Gordon (Los Altos, Calif./Kings Academy) rounded things out with 16 digs. In addition, sophomore Brittany Steinbrecher (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) was strong with a team-high five aces and six blocks.