SEASON OUTLOOK: Tigers Primed For Big Things Again In 2013

Even for a program with the extraordinary track record of success and achievement of Wittenberg University volleyball, expectations for the 2013 season are high.

Coming off a 27-5 record and a No. 5 national ranking in the final 2012 poll, the Tigers welcome 10 letterwinners back to the roster, including four starters. They form the foundation of what could be another special team, one that Head Coach Paco Labrador hopes could deliver a fifth NCAA Division III Final Four berth – or better.

The unquestioned leader in 2013 will be senior middle hitter Andrea Behling (Columbus, Ind./North), who is coming off a breakout campaign. En route to honorable mention All-America honors a year ago, Behling pounded 305 kills to rank third on the team while leading the Tigers in blocks with 78.

Behling figures to take an even more prominent role in 2013, combining with 2012 NCAA Division III National Freshman of the Year Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) to keep opposing defenses off balance. Seidenstricker was nothing short of sensational in her inaugural collegiate campaign, also earning North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Player of the Year and Great Lakes Regional Freshman of the Year honors after topping the squad with 367 kills and 36 service aces and ranking third with 66 blocks and digs with 566.

Also returning to the starting lineup are sophomore outside hitter Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and sophomore middle hitter Haley Mucha (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange). Emming followed in the footsteps of her twin sisters Michelle and Jen almost a decade earlier to provide steady all-around play, while Mucha was a force at the net with 70 blocks in 2012.

After two years sharing the setting duties, junior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) returns to take the lead at the all-important position. The 2011 NCAC Newcomer of the Year has piled up more than 1,000 assists and nearly 100 service aces in her first two seasons in the Red & White.

There are question marks for Labrador, starting with the libero position, vacant following the graduation of two-time NCAC Libero of the Year Christina Gilene in May. Junior Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) and a pair of freshmen are vying for the starting spot.

A total of 11 newcomers have reinforced the roster in 2013, joining returning sophomore letterwinners Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este), Callan Swaim (Mooresville, Ind./Mooresville), Bryanna Jay (Girard, Ohio/Girard) and Brooke Barney (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) in a pitched battle for playing time. Also in the mix is sophomore Katie Zito (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), who missed most of the 2012 season due to injury.

2013 At A Glance 

Letterwinners Returning: 10
Brooke Barney, Andrea Behling, Melissa Emming, Kristina Fultz, Bryanna Jay, Haley Mucha, Meghan Vodopich, Kiah Murray, Kara Seidenstricker, Callan Swaim 

Letterwinners Lost: 4
Hallie Donathan, Christina Gilene, Jessica Batanian, Jordan Mungovan 

Starters Returning: 4
Andrea Behling, Melissa Emming, Haley Mucha, Kara Seidenstricker 

Starters Lost: 2+libero
Jessica Batanian, Hallie Donathan, Christina Gilene