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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers reached their 18th consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship match with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Allegheny.
The top-seeded Tigers improved to 23-7 on the season after posting their fourth consecutive undefeated NCAC regular season record at 16-0. Wittenberg advanced to the NCAC Tournament title match at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, against either No. 2 seed Hiram or No. 3 seed Wooster. Allegheny, which lost to Wittenberg in the NCAC Tournament semifinals for a second straight year, saw its season end with records of 16-18 overall and 10-6 in the NCAC.
The win was achieved by final set scores of 25-17, 25-15, 25-19, the Tigers' third 3-0 sweep of the Gators in the 2009 season alone. Overall, Wittenberg has beaten Allegheny 22 straight times, dating back October 1996 and holds a commanding 30-7 lead in the series.
Wittenberg won its seventh straight NCAC Tournament match with its trademark combination of defensive intensity and efficient offense. As a team, Wittenberg attacked at a .294 clip, pounding out 52 kills against 15 errors in 129 attempts, compared to .089 for Allegheny. The Gators managed just 21 kills and 12 errors on 101 attempts.
Wittenberg freshmen Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) and Kelli Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) combined for 27 digs, while sophomore Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) led with 16 digs. Allegheny's Sarah Sckena led both teams with 22 digs.
Offensively, the Tigers were paced by junior Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) with 13 kills and a .370 attack percentage. Dyer added 10 kills and a .346 attack percentage, while sophomore Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson) added five kills on a .357 attack percentage. Freshman setter Jordan Mungovan (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) led with 22 assists, while 2008 NCAC Tournament MVP Erin Slattery (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) chipped in with 18 assists.
Allegheny's attack was led by Caitlin Solan, who had nine kills, and Laura Gaudreau with four kills and a .400 attack percentage. Caileigh Hughes finished with 11 assists and Caitlin Rothman contributed four blocks.
Wittenberg is shooting for its 12th NCAC Tournament title in the last 13 years after winning its 12th NCAC regular season crown in the last 13 years. The Tigers swept Hiram and Wooster during the regular season, although the Terriers extended Wittenberg to five sets in their first meeting.