Tigers Open 2010 Season Ranked No. 11 In The Nation
With a reputation as a perennial national title contender burnished by 15 straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, the Wittenberg Tigers have once again earned the respect of voters in the 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. Wittenberg, which ranks seventh in NCAA Division III history with 143 appearances in the weekly poll since its inception in 1992, will start the 2010 campaign ranked No. 11.
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Amy Cox (2) is the Tigers' lone senior in 2010.
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Springfield, Ohio — With a reputation as a perennial national title contender burnished by 15 straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, the Wittenberg Tigers have once again earned the respect of voters in the 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. Wittenberg, which ranks seventh in NCAA Division III history with 143 appearances in the weekly poll since its inception in 1992, will start the 2010 campaign ranked No. 11.
The Tigers are coming off a 2009 season that included North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season and tournament championships. The Tigers extended their NCAC regular season domination to 128 wins in their last 129 matches, stretching back to the 1997 season. The 16-0 NCAC regular season record led to the Tigers' to their sixth title in Head Coach Paco Labrador's seven years and the 15th title in the last 18 years for Wittenberg overall.
After capturing their 15th NCAC Tournament title, including 12 in the last 13 years, the Tigers were upended in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament by Calvin. Wittenberg's earliest postseason exit since 2001 left the Tigers with a 24-8 overall record, running Labrador's record to a phenomenal 227-35.
A stellar senior class departs, but the 2010 squad appears to have all the pieces in place for another outstanding season. Twelve letterwinners return in 2010, led by first-team All-NCAC middle hitter Katie Sumner, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio, and second-team All-NCAC setter/right-side hitter Amy Cox, class of 2011 from Newark, Ohio. No player on the current roster has ever lost an NCAC match - regular season or tournament.
Their quest for the ultimate prize – a national championship - in 2010 starts with Wittenberg's National Invitational on Friday, Sept. 3 and Saturday, Sept. 4, when the Tigers take on perennial national powers St. Thomas, Wisconsin-Whitewater and California Lutheran. St. Thomas starts the season ranked No. 8, Wisconsin-Whitewater opens at No. 14 and California Lutheran is the top vote-getter outside of the top 25.
Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photo by: Erin Pence
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