Tigers Bounce Back To Take Pair On Day 2 Of Fall Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Turns out, the sixth time is a charm. The Wittenberg Tigers needed six games against nationally ranked opponents in the 2013 season before breaking through for a much-needed win against eighth-ranked Otterbein.

Combined with a victory over Mount St. Joseph in the final match of the 2013 Wittenberg Fall Classic, the 10th-ranked Tigers improved to 4-5 on the season. Wittenberg had opened the tournament with a 3-0 loss to 16th-ranked Juniata on Friday.

Against Otterbein, coached by former Tiger All-American Monica McDonald, class of 2004, Head Coach Paco Labrador shuffled the line-up and the changes paid dividends in the form of a 3-1 win by set scores of 25-21, 25-23, 19-25 and 25-18.

Offensively, Wittenberg was paced by sophomores Melissa Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), who had missed the first two weeks of the season due to illness, and Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder). Both finished with 13 kills in the match, with Seidenstricker adding 13 digs and two service aces.

In addition, senior Andrea Behling (Columbus, Ind./North) slid back to her customary middle hitter position and finished with nine kills, while junior setter Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) continued her steady play with five kills and 35 assists. Also of note, sophomore Katie Zito (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) made her first start at the libero position and finished with a team-high 15 digs.

The momentum carried over to the day's final match, a 3-0 whitewashing of Mount St. Joseph by set scores of 25-11, 25-20 and 25-16.

Seidenstricker finished with 10 kills, five acces and 13 digs, while sophomore Brooke Barney (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) chipped in with eight kills and a .389 attack percentage. Behling, who earned All-Tournament Team honors, added nine kills and a .364 attack percentage and Vodopich rounded out the attack with 30 assists, a team-high 15 digs and three aces.