Tigers Capture Seventh Straight NCAC Tournament Championship
Wittenberg races past DePauw and Hiram to finish off another league tourney title and earn NCAC's automatic berth in NCAA Division III Tournament.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DePauw
25-6
|
19 | 20 | 31 | 0 |
|
Wittenberg
22-8
|
25 | 25 | 33 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hiram
22-10
|
20 | 11 | 21 | 0 |
|
Wittenberg
23-8
|
25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
DePauw
| Game Statistics | DePauw | Wittenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .230 | .273 |
| Blocks | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Digs | 62 | 50 |
| Aces | 3 | 11 |
Hiram
Wittenberg
| Game Statistics | Hiram | Wittenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .064 | .210 |
| Blocks | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| Digs | 47 | 54 |
| Aces | 2 | 8 |
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Winning North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships never gets old for the Wittenberg volleyball team. The Tigers made it seven NCAC Tournament titles in a row and 19 overall with a pair of 3-0 wins Saturday over DePauw and Hiram.
Wittenberg, which has won 16 straight NCAC Tournament matches dating back to 2006, improved to 23-8 on the 2013 season. The Tigers will take a nine-match winning streak into the NCAA Division III Tournament after earning the NCAC's automatic berth into the competition.
The Tigers, who also have an active 43-match NCAC regular season winning streak, will make their 19th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and their 18th in a row. The 2013 tournament brackets will be announced on Monday, Nov. 11.
Against DePauw, the No. 4 seed in the tournament after finishing in a three-way tie for second place with Denison and Hiram, the Tigers picked up the win by set scores of 25-19, 25-20, 33-31. Senior Andrea Behling (Columbus, Ind./North) was outstanding, finishing with 13 kills and a .480 attack percentage.
She was backed by stellar play from sophomore Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) with 12 kills, nine digs and four blocks, and junior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) with five kills, 39 assists, three aces and four digs. Junior libero Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) continued her steady defensive play with 19 digs, and sophomore Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) added eight kills and eight digs.
The win over Hiram was even more decisive, as the Tigers won the sets by scores of 25-20, 25-11, 25-21.
Seidenstricker earned all-tournament team honors with another spectacular performance, finishing with 13 kills and a .355 attack percentage to go along with 11 digs and two aces. Behling continued to excel as well, contributing 10 kills and a .381 attack percentage, while freshman Camila Quiñones (Sunbury, Ohio/Worthington Christian) also picked up all-tournament team honors with nine kills and two blocks.
Tournament MVP honors were bestowed upon Vodopich after she capped a fine weekend with five kills, 31 assists, three aces, 10 digs and two blocks.