Springfield, Ohio — With their entire starting lineup back in place after two consecutive runs to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals, the Wittenberg Tigers have earned the respect of voters in the 2007 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. Wittenberg, which has finished the season ranked in the top five each of the last three years, will start the 2007 campaign ranked No. 2 behind defending national champion Juniata College.

Also the unanimous choice to win the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in a coaches' poll released yesterday, the Tigers are coming off a 2006 season in which they made conference history with a perfect 16-0 record in the first-ever double round-robin schedule. It was the Tigers' ninth NCAC regular season title in the last 10 years, part of a 35-8 campaign that equaled the school and NCAC record for wins in a season.

Ranked in the top 15 all season in 2006, the Tigers earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament to make their 11th national appearance in the last 12 years. Wittenberg then blew through the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Tournament to advance to the national quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years. For the second consecutive season, however, the Tigers lost to Juniata in the national semifinals.

This year, Wittenberg is led by two-time honorable mention All-America outside hitter Emily Bell, class of 2008 from Fort Wayne, Ind., who has ranked among the team leaders in both kills and digs in each of her first three collegiate seasons. She has plenty of talent and experience around her, including all-region outside hitter Jackie Williams, class of 2009 from Rocky River, Ohio, and two-year starting libero Laura Fender, class of 2009 from Toledo, Ohio. Williams has led the Tigers in attack percentage each of the last two years, while Fender was tops in digs in 2005 and 2006.

The 2007 season opens with the Wittenberg Invitational on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, in which the Tigers are scheduled to play Centre, Thomas More, Defiance and Eastern University. It is the first of three home tournaments during the regular season for Wittenberg, and it is the start of a challenging schedule that includes nationally ranked foes Washington University, Capital University, Ohio Northern University, the College of Mount St. Joseph, Calvin College, Central (Iowa) College and Juniata.