SEASON OUTLOOK: Tigers Primed For Title Run In 2014

With five starters and a whopping 16 letterwinners returning to the roster, the Wittenberg University volleyball team enters the 2014 season with lofty expectations – even for one of the most successful NCAA Division III programs year in and year out. 

Coming off a 2013 season that ended with records of 25-9 overall and 8-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), the Tigers are eager for more. Wittenberg was again a fixture in the national rankings and champions of the NCAC’s regular season and tournament competitions, but the Tigers were stopped in the NCAA Division III Tournament in the Round of 16 by eventual national champion Calvin for the third time in four years. 

Head Coach Paco Labrador, who owns a phenomenal 348-55 overall record in 10 seasons on the sidelines at Wittenberg, may have the weapons to find a way past the arch-rival Knights in 2014. The last time Wittenberg defeated Calvin in the NCAA Division III Tournament was 2011, when the Tigers used a 3-1 road victory as a springboard to the program’s first-ever national title. 

Labrador’s line-up is highlighted once again by a returning All-American in the form of junior right-side hitter Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder), the 2012 NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year. Seidenstricker has led the Tigers in kills in each of her first two seasons in the Red & White, piling up a total of 743 combined. In addition, the two-time first-team All-NCAC and first-team All-Great Lakes Region honoree has compiled 108 service aces, 896 digs and 113 blocks in her first two seasons. 

Senior Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) emerged as a dynamic offensive force in 2013 after sharing the setting duties her first two collegiate seasons. The 2011 NCAC Newcomer of the Year was outstanding in her first year as a starter, dishing out 1,079 assists to go along with 35 service aces, 289 digs, 35 blocks and 188 kills en route to first-team all-league and honorable mention all-region awards. 

Also returning to the starting lineup are junior outside hitter Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and sophomore middle hitter Emily Kahlig (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater), who earned honorable mention all-conference in her first collegiate season. Rounding things out is senior Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown), who took over the libero position midway through the 2013 season and wound up leading the Tigers with 379 digs. 

The battle for the rest of the spots in the playing rotation figures to be heated, considering the presence of a total of 20 student-athletes on the roster. Juniors Kristina Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este), Callan Swaim (Mooresville, Ind./Mooresville), Bryanna Jay (Girard, Ohio/Girard), Brooke Barney (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and Haley Mucha (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) all have taken their turns in the rotation during their Wittenberg careers, as did sophomore Camila Quiñones (Sunbury, Ohio/Worthington Christian) during the 2013 season. Sophomores Laura DeWitt (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) and Jenny Lehman (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) round out the returning letterwinners who play primarily offensive positions. 

Also back are sophomore defensive specialist/libero Maria Froendhoff (Fort Thomas, Ky./Newport Catholic Central) and sophomore setter Courtney Huck (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa), both of whom figure to provide important depth at key positions. 

Finally, the Tigers are bolstered by two returning players who missed the 2013 season due to injury and two newcomers. Sophomore Moriah Eck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth) is in the mix at outside hitter, while sophomore Kendall Farmer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) will contend for playing time at middle hitter. Sophomore Rachael Sullivan (Milford, Ohio/Milford) is a right-side hitter/setter who played last year at Ohio Dominican, while freshman outside hitter Maddie Fischer (Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) is the lone first-year collegian on the 2014 roster.

Also of note in 2014 is a coaching transition, but Labrador has once again stayed in the Tiger volleyball family to find an assistant. After two years on the bench, former All-American setter Amy Cox has given way to her successor at the position, Hallie Donathan, Wittenberg's starter in the 2011 NCAA Division III Championship run.

2014 At A Glance

Letterwinners Returning: 16
Courtney Huck, Lexi Wredberg, Laura DeWitt, Melissa Emming, Maria Froendhoff, Kiah Murray, Brooke Barney, Kara Seidenstricker, Bryanna Jay, Kristina Fultz, Haley Mucha, Emily Kahlig, Callan Swaim, Camila Quinones, Meghan Vodopich, Jenny Lehman

Letterwinners Lost: 3
Katie Ziro, Andrea Behling, Libbi Guiliano 

Starters Returning: 4+libero
Meghan Vodopich, Kiah Murray, Melissa Emming, Emily Kahlig, Kara Seidenstricker 

Starters Lost: 2
Katie Zito, Andrea Behling