Wittenberg Defeats NYU In Scintillating NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal

SALEM, Va. - For the Wittenberg volleyball program, the third time is truly the charm.

After winning their third NCAA Division III Tournament Great Lakes Regional championship in the last four years last weekend, the Tigers had high hopes of breaking through the quarterfinal round and on into the semifinals for the first time in school history. In breathtaking fashion, Wittenberg did just that, rallying in the fifth and deciding game for a 3-2 victory over New York University.

The win, Wittenberg's 18th straight since an Oct. 7 loss at North Coast Athletic Conference rival Hiram, moved the Tigers, ranked fifth nationally, to 34-4 overall on the 2005 season. NYU, the fourth-ranked team in the nation, dropped to 35-8 overall. The Violets were the fourth-place finisher in the 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament.

After the two teams split the first four games, the fifth game provided the same kind of heartstopping back-and-forth action. The Tigers led 7-5 before NYU reeled off six straight points to seemingly take control of the match. But the resilient knotted the game with a 5-1 burst keyed by a Jan Kehres kill, an Emily Dixon block and then the third Violets attack error in six points, this time coming after Kehres made a tremendous running defensive save at the edge of the court. After NYU took a one-point lead, another Dixon block, paired with an NYU error, gave Wittenberg a 14-13 edge.

The Violets tied the game for the final time on Elena Drinka's match-best 24th kill. However, some Emily Bell heroics put the match away for the Tigers as she pounded a kill and then paired with Dixon on a block to move Wittenberg into uncharted territory.

The volleyball team's NCAA Final Four appearance is the university's first in any sport since 1994, when the men's basketball team finished third. No Wittenberg team has claimed a national title since men's basketball in 1977.

The key to stopping NYU's run in the fifth game was holding composure and getting the service back, according to Wittenberg Head Coach Paco Labrador, who improved to 97-14 in his three-year head coaching career.

"Honestly, I was hoping to get Linda (Young) back in the game," Labrador said. "We were one rotation away. I wanted to get out of that rotation, get her in the front row for three rotations to turn the game around. That's what happened."

Dixon was simply tremendous with a career-high 14 blocks, including four solos. The Tigers held a 20.5-10 advantage in team blocks as Linda Young chipped in with five and Kehres added four. Defense was the difference for Wittenberg, as the final points difference was a mere nine points.

The match opened with a 34-32 victory for the Tigers, who started with a substantial lead but then had to regroup after NCAC Newcomer of the Year Jackie Williams went down with an ankle injury. Williams, the team leader in kills per game and attack percentage, managed to hobble back in and out of the match the rest of the way, but her effectiveness was limited. She finished with six kills as part of a balanced Tiger attack that was led by Bell with 14 kills and Kehres with 11.

NYU, which featured a lineup with three All-Americans (compared to just one Wittenberg honorable mention selection in Bell), rallied in Game 2 for 30-27 win, and Wittenberg got the upper hand in Game 3 for a 30-20 victory. In Game 4, the Tigers appeared to have the momentum after Dixon was credited with a solo block to make the score 28-27. However, the Violets reeled off three straight points to close out the game and force a decisive Game 5.

"There are times that teams can steal a game away with two quick points," stated Labrador about game four. "I felt like we still had the momentum going into the fifth."

Kehres added a match-best 23 digs, while Bell was also in double-double territory with 19 digs. The Tigers, who improved to 2-2 in five-game matches this season and 6-2 against teams ranked in the top 25, also picked up 24 assists from Sarah Matesich and 23 assists from Ashley Anderson.

Labrador savored the victory. But he's also ready to look ahead to the semifinals and a potential match-up with defending national champion Juniata, a team the Tigers opened the season with at home in the HPER Center. Juniata won that match 3-2.

"It feels great," Labrador said. "It's nice to go to the interview with good feelings and not have an upset team in the locker room."