Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg men's volleyball team has been selected to finish fourth, in the 2018 MCVL Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tigers come in behind Carthage College tabbed to finish first with eight top spot votes. Mount St. Joseph followed close behind, earning the other first-place vote. Led by first-year Head Coach Ryan Thompson, the Tigers have been projected to finish behind the Cardinals of North Central, edging out the Duhawks of Loras College for the fourth spot and rounding out the top five.
"Entering our third season as a program, we have a certain level of expectation that we are hoping to achieve. Being picked 4th in the conference by the other coaches is a step in that direction," said Coach Thompson, "Our goal now for the season is to improve upon that and qualify for the MCVL Tournament for the first time in program history."
The Tigers return a wealth of talent with 14 letter winners returning while welcoming six new faces to the squad. Recording a team-high 320 kills last season in 102 sets played, Dylan Kolovitz averaged a kill to set ratio of 3.14 in 2017. Isaiah Brock returns to the front line, after leading all Tigers in 2017 with 101 blocks 73 assisted and a MCVL leading 28 solo. Ross Russell comes off a 2017 campaign, tallying a team-high in digs (227) and assists (752) in 113 sets played. Ashton Sellers returns to the court having contributed to 100 sets over the Tigers 32 match season in 2017. A threat on both sides of the ball, Sellers added 147 kills and 74 blocks to his final total of the season.
The Tigers will take on three opponents who were nationally ranked last season, and one from the "others receiving votes" category of the AVCA Coaches Top-25 Poll. The talent pool that Coach Thompson has lined on his team's schedule includes Juniata, Penn St. Altoona, and Dominican (IL), and Marymont (Va.), along with a conference matchup against reigning MCVL West Division Champs Carthage College.
Wittenberg composed an overall record of 14-18 in 2017, compiling a 9-10 record in MCVL matches.