Volleyball Fall Classic Includes Top Teams, Fundraising Initiative

Springfield, Ohio – Off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 2 in the nation after winning the 2011 NCAA Division III National Championship, Wittenberg University’s volleyball team takes on its next challenge during the Wittenberg Fall Classic Sept. 14-15.

Make that challenges – plural. The Tigers are hosting what could be the most competitive tournament in all of NCAA Division III as four of the top seven teams in the current American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll are in the field, in addition to teams ranked 14^th and 21^st.

“This is one of those rare regular season opportunities for some of the best teams in the nation to measure themselves against one another,” said Wittenberg Head Coach Paco Labrador, who recently won his 300^th career match and now owns a record of 302-41 in his 10 seasons at the helm. “I look forward to two days of tremendous competition.”

Throughout the weekend, the Tigers are also taking on a challenge greater than any of the opponents in the field. Wittenberg student-athletes are raising money and awareness in support of Light the Night, a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All fans in attendance will be asked to donate $1 to the organization, which funds life-saving research and support for people battling various forms of cancer.

Wittenberg team members are participating in the Springfield Light the Night fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 22, in honor of two former teammates, Hillary Hassink, class of 2013, and Hillary Monnin, class of 2012, who were stricken with cancer during their collegiate careers. All fans who make a donation will receive a sticker to wear during the tournament to show their solidarity and support for the cause.

“All of us have been touched by cancer in some way during our lives, and this is just a small way for us to give back,” Labrador said. “The support and medical research provided by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society directly affected the lives of both of our teammates, and for that we are very grateful.”

Known last year as the Great Lakes Regional Challenge and for several years before that as the Border Battle, which pitted the top teams from Michigan and Ohio against one another, the tournament has always included a philanthropic theme. Over the years, Tiger volleyball student-athletes have focused on Hurricane Katrina relief, environmental awareness and orphaned children in Africa. This is the third straight year that the tournament has adopted cancer awareness and research as part of its mission.

Matches are scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, on two courts running simultaneously. The last two matches are set for a first serve at 8 p.m., with action starting on Saturday at 10 a.m. and running through matches slated to commence at 6 p.m.

Washington University enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the nation, followed by Wittenberg at No. 2 and Calvin at No. 3. Those three teams have won the last three NCAA Division III National Championships, and they will square off against one another during the Wittenberg Fall Classic – the Tigers will take on Washington University at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Calvin at 2 p.m. Saturday, while Washington University and Calvin was play at 8 p.m. Friday.

Hope comes in ranked seventh nationally, while Otterbein checks in at No. 14 and Heidelberg at No. 21. Alma, which is 6-1 so far in 2012, Ohio Northern, which has a 9-1 record in the early going, and Mount St. Joseph, which is 1-4, round out the stellar field.

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