Wittenberg Volleyball Earns 16th NCAA Division III Tournament Berth

Springfield, Ohio — The No. 2-ranked Wittenberg University volleyball team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 15th consecutive year and the 16th time in school history. The Tigers open their quest for the first national title in program history with a first-round match at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at home in Pam Evans Smith Arena against Ohio Northern University.

Head Coach Paco Labrador speaks to his team during a timeout during a match in the 2010 Border Battle.

The Tigers' contest against Ohio Northern is the fourth of four first-round matches scheduled for the opening day of the Wittenberg Regional Tournament. Winners will advance to the regional semifinals at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, and the championship match at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13.

The Wittenberg Regional figures to be one of the most challenging brackets in the 63-team tournament in 2010. Action starts with a match between No. 7 Calvin College and Otterbein University at 12:30 p.m., followed by No. 13 Heidelberg University against Greenville (Ill.) at 3 p.m. and No. 6 Hope College against No. 23 University of Chicago at 5:30 p.m.

The winner of the regional bracket will advance to the national tournament with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals set for the weekend of Nov. 19-22, at No. 1-ranked Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Wittenberg's best performance in the NCAA Division III Tournament came on three straight national semifinal appearances between 2005 and 2007.

Wittenberg advanced to the 2010 NCAA Division III Tournament by virtue of the North Coast Athletic Conference's (NCAC) automatic berth after winning the league's regular season and tournament titles. The Tigers, who compiled records of 30-2 overall and 13-1 in the NCAC while ranked in the top 11 nationally all season, have been particularly impressive against top competition, posting a 9-1 record against teams that earned berths in the national competition.

The Tigers defeated Ohio Northern 3-0 in a match played, ironically, at Washington University on Sept. 10. The two teams have a long history of national tournament battles. The last time Wittenberg met the Polar Bears in the NCAA Division III competition was in 2008, when ONU took a 3-2 decision in the second round. Ohio Northern has beaten Wittenberg twice on its home floor during Tiger Head Coach Paco Labrador's eight seasons at the helm, each time rallying from a 2-0 deficit.

Wittenberg is making its 16th NCAA appearance and 15th in a row (1993-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10). The Tigers have reached the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16 nine times in school history, the national quarterfinals five of the last eight years, and the national semifinals three times. Wittenberg has a 22-15 (.594) overall record in the national tournament.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence

061-10