Trio Of Tigers Earns All-Great Lakes Region Honors
Kara Seidenstricker, Andrea Behling and Meghan Vodopich are recognized by the AVCA with all-region awards.
Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University volleyball standouts Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder), Andrea Behling (Columbus, Ind./North) and Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) have earned 2013 All-Great Lakes Region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
This is the first all-region honor for Vodopich, while Seidenstricker and Behling are both appearing on the list for a second straight year. Seidenstricker earned first-team honors, while Behling and Vodopich were honorable mention selections.
Student-athletes who make the first-team in regional voting are automatically considered for All-America awards, which are announced at the AVCA’s annual banquet the night before the national quarterfinal matches, hosted this year by Hope College in Holland, Mich.
Seidenstricker, a sophomore right-side hitter, leads the Tigers for a second straight season with 314 kills and 66 service aces, in addition to 310 digs and 41 blocks, both of which rank second on the team. The 2012 NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year, Seidenstricker has been charged with just 11 reception errors in 310 attempts. She was previously named first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) after earning the league’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year designations a year ago.
A senior middle hitter, Behling ranks second on the team with 300 kills to go along with 22 service aces, 129 digs and 39 blocks, good for third on the Tigers. Her attack percentage of .300 is also second on the team and ranks among the best in the NCAC. Previously awarded the NCAC Player of the Year trophy, Behling was an honorable mention All-America selection a year ago after also earning first-team All-Great Lakes Region.
Vodopich emerged as one of the region’s top setters in 2013 with a tremendous all-around game that puts her at or near the top of multiple statistical categories for both the team and the league. Vodopich has attacked at an NCAC-best .373 percentage, hammering 166 kills against just 32 errors in 359 total attempts. She also has piled up 32 service aces, 30 blocks and 256 digs en route to first-team All-NCAC and NCAC Tournament MVP honors.
The Tigers finished the 2013 regular season with records of 23-8 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the conference after winning their 19th NCAC regular season and tournament championships. Wittenberg, ranked 10th in the nation, earned its 18th straight NCAA Division III Tournament bid (19th overall), which started today with a first-round victory over Bluffton in a match played at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Written By: Ryan Maurer