Wittenberg Hosts Second Invitational Volleyball Tournament of 2002 Season

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University womens volleyball team hosts its annual Wittenberg National Invitational this weekend, featuring the usual array of high-quality competition. Five teams will compete over a two-day span, beginning at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11 and winding up with championship and third place matches at 2p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. The teams will compete on two courts in Wittenbergs HPER Center.

Along with host Wittenberg, competing in this years National Invitational are Nazareth, Thomas More, R.I.T. and Baldwin-Wallace. Three of these teams are nationally ranked in the latest NCAA Division III American Volleyball Coaches Association poll: Nazareth (23), Baldwin-Wallace (20) and Wittenberg (13). All three are ranked in the top 10 in their respective regions.

"We are thrilled about hosting a tournament of this caliber," said Wittenberg head coach Connie Surowicz, now in her ninth season with the Tigers. "The level of competition will be very intense, and we are excited to see how we will stack up."

Wittenberg will also host a new volleyball tournament this year called the Tiger National Quad. Scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, that competition will feature Juniata University, ranked No. 3 in the country and the third-place finisher in the 2001 NCAA Division III tournament, Washington University, ranked No. 1 in the country and a national quarterfinalist a year ago, the College of Mt. St. Joseph, ranked No. 8 in the country and winner of seven straight matches the last three years against Wittenberg, and the host Tigers, winners of the last five North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles.

The Tigers head into the weekend with an 19-4 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in the NCAC. The squad recently captured first place in the Wittenberg Invitational and they also have three second-place finishes to their credit in 2002 tournaments at Mount St. Joseph, West Florida and Washington University. They are currently riding a 10-match win streak.

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