Women's Volleyball Downs #2 Juniata and #9 Christopher Newport at ASICS Invitational

HUNTINGDON, Pennsylvania- Wittenberg women's volleyball and head coach Paco Labrador have never been afraid to play the best of the best early on in any give campaign. 2016 was no different story for the young group, as the bus rolled into Juniata College where some of the best volleyball teams in the nation awaited the young Tigers. After a three set loss to Carnegie Melon, the Tigers bounced back with three set sweeps of Christopher-Newport and host Juniata. The 4-2 Tigers return home to play host to the Wittenberg Fall Classic, with even more talent waiting to be showcased in Pam Evans Smith Arena.

#25 CARNEGIE MELON NOTES

• Wittenberg fell in consecutive sets 25-22, 26-24, and 27-25 on the opening night of matches at Juniata.
• Camila Quiñones continued to be an offensive force for the Tigers, as the senior contributed 14 kills in the match.
• "Carnegie Melon played a sharp match with excellent defense tonight. Their senior libero was superb and their senior setter ran a fast and dynamic offense. We will regroup tonight and play another pair of tough opponents tomorrow," said Coach Labrador.

#9 CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT NOTES

• The Tigers clawed back after the tough Friday night match, dominating Christopher Newport 15-15, 25-19 and 25-23.
• Keeping pace with Quinoñes, sophomore Maddie Fischer followed up with 14 kills of her own in the match.
• Madison Manger and Megan Flaherty combined for 23 digs and 19 assists in the match.
• Taylor Brown contributed nine digs of her own to Wittenberg's 54 total in the match.

#2 JUNIATA NOTES

• The Tigers did not look back on Saturday, hitting their stride and running right through Juniata; 25-19, 25-14 and 25-23.
• In a historic rivalry in Division III volleyball, Wittenberg had the upper-hand in the mathc, downing the number two team in the nation on their home floor.
• Fischer stayed red hot for the Tiger offense, slamming home 12 more kills in the match, running her day total up to 26.
• Manger, Brown, and Karen Wildemann combined for 45 digs in the match, as well as 19 assists as the trio of sophomores shined bright all day for Wittenberg.
• As a team, Wittenberg produced a kill percentage of .165 in the match.
• After an early hiccup against the #25 team in the land, the Tigers stood tall and rattled off six straight set victorys to take two matches from two perrenial powerhouses.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

• Fischer and Quinoñes shined bright all weekend for the Tigers, both earning all-tournament team nods after three stellar performances. For the tournament, Fischer finished with 35 kills, while Quinoñes chipped in 23. 
• This is the second time in as many tournaments that senior outside hitter Quinoñes has been named to the all-tournament team, after earning such honors at the Mt. Union Invitational last weekend. 

FROM THE COACH

• "We are slowly finding our identity as a team. Being pushed by excellent programs and coaches like Carnegie Melon, Christopher Newport and Juniata certainly reveals a great deal about who we can become. I am proud of the poise this team demonstrated today," said Coach Labrador.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg returns home to play host to the Wittenberg Fall Classic September 16 &17.