Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg's men's volleyball team will begin their inaugural season in the Wittenberg Quad Tournament beginning Friday, Jan. 22, hosting Olivet, Adrian, and Hilbert Colleges.
According to Coach Evan Amstutz, this tournament will allow the team to gain a perspective of their competition in the conference and a serve as an exciting introduction to men's volleyball for Tiger fans.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how the students react," Amstutz said. "They are in for a treat."
The team began practicing in August and spent their first semester learning to work together in preparation for the season. As a squad made up of mostly first-year students, Amstutz says he expects to see a major growth within the team throughout the season.
"I'm evaluating us now, and then again at the end of the season to see how much we've grown. Being a young team, we can make quantifiable leaps, not only in the game, but also as people," he said.
One area in which Amstutz expects to see his athletes grow is consistency. He said being such a young team, they will have to "deal with the emotional fragility in the game, but strong leadership on the team, and more experience should negate that, and allow them to play more consistently."
With a full schedule until April 2, the Tigers definitely have time to grow. Fans will have ample opportunity to watch the men in action with two home tournaments, several home dates, a spring break trip, and four away matches to round out Tigers' spring schedule.
According to Amstutz, the tournament to watch is the Jim Colemen Invitiational scheduled for Jan. 29-30. Fans will be able to see the Tigers take on some of the best teams in the league, including Juniata and Carthage.
The Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) preseason coach's poll, released in December, ranked the Tigers as ninth in the league heading into their inaugural season.
Coach Amstutz says the team will not be focusing on these rankings in their practices or games - this season will be focused on personal growth and establishing the Tigers within the league.
"Everyone is committing themselves to getting better in one aspect or another," said Amstutz. "I couldn't have asked for a better group."
-By Stephanie, Glass, Office of University Communications