Wittenberg Wins 17th NCAC Tournament Title With 3-0 Sweep Of Hiram

Christina Gilene

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament trophy is securely in the possession of the Wittenberg Tigers for the 17th time in the last 20 years after a 3-0 sweep of Hiram.

The Tigers, the No. 1 seed in the tournament after posting a perfect 16-0 record in the NCAC regular season, improved to 31-3 overall and earned the conference's automatic berth into the 2011 NCAA Division III Tournament. Hiram, the regular season runner-up with a 13-3 record, dropped to 26-8 overall and will now await the tournament committee's decision with regards to an at-large berth.

The final was the ninth in a row to feature Wittenberg and Hiram, and it was the eighth to go in favor of the Tigers. Wittenberg dominated the first two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-13 before the Terriers rallied to within one point late in a 25-23 Tiger third-set victory.

The key for the Tigers was defense, a point driven home by the selection of junior libero Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio/McNicholas) as the Tournament's Most Valuable Player. She recorded a deceiving 16 digs to lead both teams, but she was just as clutch in picking up loose balls after Hiram block attempts as she repeatedly set the Tiger attack up for quick counterattacks.

She wasn't alone in playing stellar defense. Wittenberg limited Hiram to a team attack percentage of just .016 with contributions up and down the lineup, including senior outside hitter Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) with 12 digs, senior right-side hitter Catherine Farny (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) with nine digs and junior outside hitter Jessica Batanian (Sylvania, Ohio/Notre Dame) with nine digs. Also of note, Hiram was held without a service ace.

Dyer added a match-high 11 kills offensively, while senior right-side hitter Christine Simpson (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) added nine kills and a .421 attack percentage. She also contributed three solo blocks.

Simpson and Gilene were joined on the all-tournament team by senior middle hitter Miranda Sagle (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who finished with six kills and a .545 attack percentage.

Hiram's Katie Rumora made the all-tournament team after recording six kills and five digs. She was joined on the team by Taylor Summerfield, who dished out 16 assists to go along with eight digs.

Wittenberg has now won five straight NCAC Tournament championships and 14 in the last 15 years. The NCAA Division III Tournament berth will be the Tigers' 17th appearance in the "Big Dance."