Springfield, Ohio — Sophomore right-side hitter Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) has capped a tremendous 2013 season with third-team Capital One Academic All-America honors.
Seidenstricker’s Academic All-America honor brings Wittenberg’s all-time total to 45 since Gene Miller in 1963. She is the fourth Tiger volleyball player to earn Academic All-America honors, following in the footsteps of Dawn Reinhardt (third team in 1998), Emily Bell (second team in 2007) and Kimmie Dyer (third team in 2011).
Seidenstricker, a sophomore right-side hitter, led the Tigers for a second straight season with 376 kills and 72 service aces. She also piled up 384 digs and 47 blocks, which ranked second and third, respectively, on the team. In addition, Seidenstricker was charged with just 14 reception errors in 384 attempts.
In just two collegiate seasons, Seidenstricker has accumulated an astonishing set of awards, starting with first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors in 2012 and 2013. She was the league’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year a year ago, and she has picked up NCAC All-Tournament team awards each of the last two years.
Seidenstricker also earned first-team All-Great Lakes Region honors in 2012 and 2013, and she was last year’s Great Lakes Region and NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year. Finally, Seidenstricker earned first-team All-America in 2012 and second-team All-America in 2013, despite finishing with nearly identical statistics.
The Tigers finished the 2013 season with records of 25-9 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the conference after winning their 19th NCAC regular season and tournament championships. Wittenberg, ranked in the top 13 nationally throughout the campaign, earned its 18th straight NCAA Division III Tournament bid (19th overall).
The season ended in heartbreaking fashion for a second straight year at the hands of top-ranked Calvin in a regional championship match. The Tigers rallied from two sets down only to lose 3-2 to Calvin, which went on to capture the national championship.
Written By: Ryan Maurer