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Springfield, Ohio — For the ninth time in school history - and second time in the 2007 season - a Wittenberg volleyball player has earned Sports Imports/Division III National Player of the Week from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The latest honoree is outside hitter Jan Kehres, class of 2008 from Alliance, Ohio, who earned the award on Oct. 1 after leading the Tigers to three straight home victories over the weekend.
The second-ranked Tigers improved to 21-0 overall and 5-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) after beating Allegheny, Hiram and Capital last week. The Terriers and Crusaders are both ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll.
The 21-match win streak is the longest in Wittenberg or NCAC history, topping 18-match streaks the Tigers rode in 2004 and 2005, and the 21-0 start is 11 wins more than the program's previous best. The Tigers' regular season win streak against conference opponents now stands at 26 straight spanning almost two years, and Wittenberg's overall regular season win streak is 34 in a row, dating back to a home loss to, ironically, Capital last October.
Against Allegheny, Kehres finished with 12 kills, 14 digs, three aces and two blocks in a three-game sweep. The next day, Kehres led the Tigers past 2006 NCAC Tournament champion Hiram as she posted a .524 attack percentage on 13 kills in 21 attempts with only two errors. She also registered 13 digs, one ace and three blocks in another three-game sweep. She capped the week with 12 kills, nine digs and one block in a sweep of Capital. For the week, Kehres hit at a .338 clip and averaged 4.1 kills, 4.0 digs and 5.1 points per game.
The Tigers have won nine straight matches by 3-0 scores and have captured 29 consecutive games. The NCAA Division III record for consecutive games won is 49 by Washington University in 1995.
On Kehres' final swing of the weekend she also reached a huge milestone, becoming just the 11th Wittenberg player to record 1,000 career kills. On match point against Capital, Kehres took a perfect set and pounded it into the Crusaders' block before watching the ball trickle back over the net and out of bounds.
The Tigers have a relatively quiet week ahead, starting with a match at NCAC rival Earlham tonight. Action concludes on Friday with a road trip to Denison. Wittenberg is shooting for its 11th NCAC regular season title in the last 12 years.
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