Laura Fender (21) and Kendall Obreza (5) cheer for the home side during the Tigers' 3-0 win over Muskingum.
Photo by Erin Pence
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers continued their late-season surge with a 3-0 victory over Muskingum in the final first round match of the 2008 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Tournament at Wittenberg's Pam Evans Smith Arena.
The fifth-ranked Tigers, seeded No. 2 in the region after capturing the regular season and tournament championships in the North Coast Athletic Conference, improved to 33-2 overall and advanced to the regional semifinals against Ohio Northern at 7 p.m. Friday. Muskingum, which placed third in the rugged Ohio Athletic Conference, checked in as the seventh seed in the region before ending its season with a mark of 23-7.
In picking up wins of 25-14, 25-15, 25-18, the Tigers came on strong in each set to win their 24th straight match overall and their ninth straight match by a 3-0 sweep. Wittenberg trailed by as many as five points in the first set and four points in the third before rallying behind an efficient offensive attack that posted a .328 attack percentage.
That offense was sparked by senior right-side hitter Jackie Williams, who pounded 19 kills on 32 swings for a .562 attack percentage. Also attacking effectively were junior middle hitter Kate Snead with nine kills and .421 attack percentage and senior middle hitter Jessica Kimble with eight kills and a .421 attack percentage. Junior setter Erin Slattery dished out 27 assists, while junior setter Kendall Obreza added 16 assists to drive the offense.
Defensively, the Tigers did not register a single block, but that doesn't mean the frontline failed to do its job. Many attack attempts came off the block and were effectively brought back up by other Tiger players, primarily senior libero Laura Fender, who finished with a season-high 28 digs. She is now just 16 away from the school record for digs in a career - a mark currently held by former All-American Emilie Schmid, who wore the Red & White from 2001-04.
Muskingum attacked at just .088 for the match, led by Jessica McKenzie with seven kills. Molly Scholl dished out 10 assists, while the defense was paced by Nicole Biblis with 14 digs.
Written By: Ryan Maurer