Tigers Top Hiram 3-1 To Win NCAC Tournament

Amy Cox

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg volleyball team picked up their fourth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship Saturday, winning 3-1 over the Hiram Terriers by scores of 25-27, 25-16, 25-16 and 25-12 to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers improved to 30-2 on the season in securing the conference tournament title, their 13th in the last 14 seasons and 16th overall.

When Wittenberg hosts the NCAA Division III Wittenberg Regional this Thursday, Nov. 11, through Saturday, Nov. 13, it will mark the 16th appearance for the Tigers in the national tournament.

Against Hiram, the Tigers met a prepared and energetic opponent in the first set. Wittenberg initially raced out to a 9-2 lead, but the Terriers fought back to 15-12 before the Tigers gained a 19-13 advantage. Hiram again mounted a comeback and this time completed it, catching the Tigers at 23-23. The set was tied at 24-24 and 25-25 before Hiram scored the final two points.

The Tigers captured their 16th overall NCAC Tournament Trophy on Saturday.

Junior outside hitter Christine Simpson (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) paced the Tigers in the first set with five kills with no errors in seven attempts, while sophomore libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) led with eight digs. Senior setter/right side Amy Cox (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) dished out nine assists in the set.

In the second set, the Tigers paced themselves and cruised evenly out to a 25-16 win. Cox upped the ante with 12 assists in the frame, while junior outside hitter Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) and junior middle Miranda Sagle (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) each tallied six kills.

While in the third set they jumped out to a 9-2 lead to start things off. The resilient Terriers again pushed back, getting within three points of the Tigers at 10-7, but six of the next eight points went to Wittenberg, and that pushed the set out of range for Hiram. Cox added 10 assists and Dyer had five kills while the team hit for .500 (13-1-24) in the set.

The fourth set saw Wittenberg in classic form, handling an early comeback bid from Hiram and finishing out with an emphatic 25-12 win. Cox had a match-high 15 assists in the frame, and junior outside hitter Hillary Monnin (Russia, Ohio/Russia) sparked the offense with four kills, three that helped build an early lead.

Dyer and Monnin ended up leading the team in kills with 16 and 13, respectively, Monnin on an impressive .542 hitting percentage. Simpson and junior middle hitter Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio/Watterson) each struck for nine kills, Sumner doing it without an error in 18 attempts for a .500 attack percentage, while Sagle contributed eight kills and Cox five.

Cox turned in an impressive 46 assists in the match, and Gilene finished with 25 digs. As a team, the Tigers hit at a .380 clip, while holding Hiram to a .155 percentage.

Wittenberg placed three student-athletes on the all-tournament team, including Gilene, Sagle and Cox, who was named tournament MVP. The complete all-tournament team is listed below.

The Wittenberg Regional field will be set the morning of Monday, Nov. 8, in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Selection Show, broadcast on the internet at NCAA.com, beginning at 11 a.m.

2010 NCAC Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Megan Early, Denison
Paige Parker, Wooster
Shaina Bryan, Hiram
Alyssa Coundourides, Hiram
Christina Gilene, Wittenberg
Miranda Sagle, Wittenberg
Amy Cox, Wittenberg (MVP)

John Strawn '07