Volleyball Promotes Cancer Awareness To Honor Teammate At Annual Border Battle

Hillary Hassink

Springfield, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team, ranked fifth in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III poll, hosts its sixth annual Border Battle Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18. As always, Head Coach Paco Labrador has built a philanthropic component into the annual competition, and in 2010 the cause is near and dear to the players and coaches on the Tiger team.

The Border Battle, which annually features four of the top NCAA Division III teams from Ohio against four of the top teams from Michigan in a unique round robin format, has been a measuring stick for top Great Lakes Region teams in recent years. The event has also had a community service component each year as participants have raised money for Hurricane Katrina victims and African orphans, promoted breast cancer awareness and encouraged energy conservation in previous years.

This year, the cause is cancer awareness, in honor of team member Hillary Hassink, class of 2013 from Tulsa, Okla., who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is out of school this semester while she receives treatments. Her teammates have collaborated with organizers of Wittenberg's Peer Helpers program to create an awareness campaign that will include a brief synopsis of Hassink's treatment and progress, distribution of early detection brochures and a display table in the HPER Center Legends Lobby with general facts to increase awareness about the disease. Hassink is an active member of Peer Helpers, in addition to her volleyball activities.

"Hillary is an incredibly resilient person," said Wittenberg Head Coach Paco Labrador. "She is already responding extremely well to her treatments, and I'm sure she will be back on campus before you know it.

"The Border Battle is a great way to increase awareness, while at the same time, play for state bragging rights. It's fun to team up with traditional rivals and cheer for your in-state teammates. This is the most competitive Border Battle ever, with six of the eight teams ranked in the top 25."

Click here for the Border Battle home page.

The Border Battle is the second of three regular season tournaments Wittenberg is scheduled to host during the 2010 season. The Tigers, who have qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament each of the last 15 years, will be joined on the Ohio side of the competition by Ohio Northern University, the College of Mount St. Joseph and Heidelberg College. Those four squads will square off against the Michigan side, comprised of Alma College, Hope College and Calvin College of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and Concordia College from Moorhead, Minn. Four rounds of matches will start at 1 p.m. on Friday, and another four rounds will commence at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The Tigers are off to a 6-1 start to the 2010 season, their eighth under Labrador, who now has a career record of 233-36. Wittenberg is coming off a 24-8 season in 2009, one that included North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season and tournament championships. Led by setter Amy Cox, class of 2011 from Newark, Ohio, and middle hitter Katie Sumner, class of 2012 from Dublin, Ohio, the Tigers have already beaten five nationally ranked opponents in 2010.

A year after Ohio teams won 14 of 16 matches in the inaugural Border Battle, the teams from Michigan pulled even in 2006 at 8-8. In 2007, Ohio teams were again on top, winning 12 of the 16 matches, before the two sides – with Ohio-based Walsh in the field on the Michigan side – finished 9-7 in favor of the Buckeye state in 2008. In 2009, the Ohio side again finished with a 12-4 advantage, with Michigan's representation including Edison Community College from Piqua, Ohio.

This year, the Ohio side includes 2008 NCAA Division III Tournament semifinalist Ohio Northern, ranked 12th in the latest national poll and regular season champion of the rugged Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in nine of the last 10 years. The Polar Bears stand 6-4 in the early going of the 2010 season. Mount St. Joseph is another top team in the region most years, and the Lions are off to a 4-3 start. Rounding out the field, Heidelberg is a program on the rise in recent years, and the Student Princes stand 19th in the latest national poll with a 7-2 record so far in 2010.

Calvin and Hope are not only among the top teams in the MIAA annually, but the entire nation. Hope, ranked sixth in the nation this year after reaching the national semifinals in 2009, is off to a 5-1 start the new season. Calvin has moved up to fourth in the latest national rankings after winning the first six matches of the 2010 campaign. The Knights have reached the postseason tournament each of the last five years, including 2009 when they knocked out Wittenberg in the first round.

Alma also is undefeated so far in 2010, standing 7-0 after opening the college's new gymnasium with a 3-0 win over MIAA rival Trine on Wednesday. Concordia Moorhead is ranked 25th in the nation and heads to the Border Battle for the first time with a 6-1 record.

Written by: Ryan Maurer

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