2000 Wittenberg Volleyball Press Releases

November 22, 2000--(32-9, 8-0 NCAC — first place)-- Sophomore setter Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay) earned North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, and Head Coach Connie Surowicz (Ohio State ‘81) took home NCAC Coach of the Year honors for their performances during the 2000 season.

Habegger broke Wittenberg’s season and career assists records as she led the Tigers to a 32-9 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the NCAC. The top-seeded Tigers captured two in-season tournaments and a fourth straight conference tournament crown before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament. No. 1 seeded Mt. St. Joseph ended Wittenberg’s season with a 3-0 victory in the regional finals on Nov. 11 in Cincinnati.

Surowicz, who now has a sparkling career record of 193-77 in seven seasons leading the Tigers, won the Coach of the Year honor for the third time since 1995 and second straight year.

Joining Habegger on the NCAC first team was sophomore Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) , who was No. 2 on the team in kills. Topping the Tigers offensively was sophomore Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) — who also ranked No. 10 nationally — and she was named to the NCAC’s second team a year after being named the conference Newcomer and Player of the Year. In addition, sophomore outside hitter Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) made the second team.

November 17, 2000--(32-9, 8-0 NCAC — first place)-- The Wittenberg University volleyball team dropped just a single game in eight regular season North Coast Athletic Conference matches, won two in-season tournaments (Alma and Colorado College) and then swept three straight matches in the NCAC tournament to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Tigers drew the No. 3 seed in the North regional bracket of the year-end tourney and traveled to Cincinnati for last weekend’s matches at Mt. St. Joseph. In the opener, Wittenberg defeated the sixth-seeded U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 3-0 (15-7, 15-4, 15-7). The Tigers leaped out to big early leads in each game and were only challenged in the third game by the Mariners, the Skyline Conference champions who completed the season with a 27-9 overall record.

Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and sophomore outside hitter and NCAC tournament MVP Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) paced the team with 16 and 15 kills respectively. Sophomore setter and the nation’s leader in assists Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay) contributed 34 assists and freshman middle hitter Sarah Muzi (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak showed her versatility with a team-high eight digs.

On Saturday, the Tigers stunned the second-seeded Ohio Northern Polar Bears, 3-2 (7-15, 15-10, 18-16, 11-15, 19-17), in an epic, 2-hour, 45-minute match to advance to the regional final for the first time ever. Ohio Northern, which was ranked No. 8 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, finished 27-9 on the season.

Again, it was the quartet of sophomores leading the charge. Baume pounded 30 kills, Murphy hammered 29 kills and picked up 31 digs, Habegger had 69 assists and 28 digs, and outside hitter Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) had 14 kills in 23 attempts.

The Wittenberg Tigers finally ran out of steam in the regional championship match, dropping a 3-0 decision to the top-seeded and host Mt. St. Joseph Mountie Lions.

Keller showed the way offensively for the Tigers with 13 kills in 28 attempts. Baume chipped in with 11 kills, Habegger finished with 32 assists, and senior Melodi Mann (Anna, Ohio/Jackson Center) completed her career with an 18-dig performance.

The Tigers wind up the season with a 32-9 overall record. Four of their nine losses this season came to Mt. St. Joseph. All-conference and region teams will be announced in the next week. Watch for details.

October 30, 2000--(27-8, 8-0 NCAC - first place)-- The Wittenberg University Tigers are used to having the bulls-eye on their backs. It comes with the territory after more than a decade of winning seasons and three straight perfect North Coast Athletic Conference regular seasons. This week, the Tigers will once again carry that mantle into the conference tournament, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday at home against No. 8 seeded Hiram. Game time is 7 p.m.

Wittenberg concluded the regular season portion of the 2000 schedule with an uneven week. On Senior Night last Wednesday, the Tigers cruised to easy wins in the first two games against visiting Thomas More before suddenly hitting the wall. The Saints rallied to win three straight games and stun the Tigers 2-3 (15-8, 15-2, 10-15, 9-15, 14-16). Wittenberg dropped the non-conference decision despite 73 assists by sophomore setter Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay) and double-digit kill totals for four players - sophomore outside hitters Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) and Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and freshman middle hitter Sarah Muzi (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak).

Muzi continued her hot play over the weekend and helped the Tigers bounce back to finish third in the Calvin College Invitational. Wittenberg started off the weekend with a pair of victories on Friday night over Bluffton, 3-0 (15-7, 16-14, 15-10), and the host school, 3-0 (15-8, 15-4, 15-11). Murphy showed the way against Bluffton with 19 kills, while Baume was tops in the nightcap with 17 kills.

On Saturday, the Tigers ran into stiffer competition and dropped a 0-3 (10-15, 12-15, 13-15) decision to DePauw. Then in the consolation match for third place, Wittenberg came back to beat former Ohio Athletic Conference rival Baldwin-Wallace 3-1 (15-7, 15-5, 11-15, 15-6). Muzi, who was named to the All-Tournament team for her performance in the four matches, topped the team in kills against DePauw with 15. And Murphy pounded out 25 kills in the victory over B-W.

Baume, the 1999 NCAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally with 426 kills in 93 games, good for a 4.58 average in matches through Oct. 22. Habegger ranks first in the conference and second nationally with 1395 assists in 103 games, good for a 13.54 average.

This week's NCAC tournament will continue for the winner of Tuesday's first round matches on Friday at the site of the highest seeded team remaining. The semifinals are slated for 530 and 8 p.m. on Friday, while the championship match will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Denison is the No. 2 seed behind Wittenberg, while Allegheny grabbed the No. 3 seed and Ohio Wesleyan rounds out the top four. The Tigers defeated all four in the regular season handily, dropping just a single game to the Big Red.

October 23, 2000--(26-6, 8-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers concluded the regular season portion of their NCAC schedule with the same results as each of the last two seasons - with a string of impressive victories and momentum as the team to beat in the NCAC tournament.

Wittenberg defeated Wooster and Oberlin by 3-0 scores on Saturday to lay claim to a third straight perfect NCAC regular season. In the win over the host Scots, sophomore Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) recorded 15 kills in limited playing time as the Tigers swept to a 15-4, 15-10, 15-6 victory. In the second match of the day, Wittenberg was too much for Oberlin in a 15-3, 15-3, 15-6 victory that was highlighted by freshman Michelle Emming (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame) and her season-high 11 kills.

Wittenberg, which has not suffered a losing season since 1989, carries a nine-match win streak into Wednesday's Senior Night contest with Thomas More at 7 p.m. at the HPER Center. After that, the team heads to Calvin for the weekend before returning home to host an NCAC tournament match against Hiram at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31. The top-seeded Tigers now have a 25-match regular season NCAC win streak dating back to a 1997 loss at Case Western Reserve. A win over the eighth-seeded Terriers will bring the NCAC semifinals and finals back to Wittenberg for a third straight year.

October 16, 2000--(22-6, 6-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers took another step toward winning a third straight regular season NCAC championship by whipping rival Ohio Wesleyan 3-0 on Oct. 11. Then the Tigers took an even bigger step toward establishing themselves on the national scene by winning the Spike It Up! Invitational at Colorado College over the weekend.

Wittenberg defeated 15th ranked California State Hayward 3-1, previously ranked host Colorado College 3-1, Westminster 3-0 and Webster 3-0 to take the title. Sophomore Brittany Baume (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) was named the tournament¹s MVP, just days after the NCAA Division III statistics came out with her standing No. 10 in kills. She was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and senior Melodi Mann (Anna, Ohio/Jackson Center).

In addition to Baume earning tournament MVP honors, Murphy was named NCAC Player of the Week, sophomore Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay) was ranked No. 1 in the country in assists, and sophomore Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) was ranked No. 20 in the country in hitting percentage. The rankings were for matches through Oct. 8.

October 9, 2000--(17-6, 5-0 NCAC)-- Wittenberg took another step toward winning its fourth straight NCAC regular season championship last week, defeating Kenyon, 3-1, and Allegheny, 3-0, on Saturday to remain atop the conference standings. The victories gave the Tigers momentum heading into this week's conference match-up against perennial power Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday.

In the victories on Saturday, sophomore outside hitter Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) continued to pound the ball, recording 29 kills in the win over Kenyon. Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern), the conference leader in kills per game with 4.62, also continued her fine offensive play, accounting for 26 kills in the two games to run her season total to 347.

Setting the table, as always, was sophomore Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Oregon Clay). With 103 assists in the two matches, Habegger has run her season total to 1,153, just 142 from her total for the entire 1999 season. She leads the NCAC with an average of 14.34 assists per game.

October 2, 2000--(12-5, 3-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers have already enjoyed several highlights during the 2000 season. Starting the season 5-0 by storming through the Alma Invitational was quite a start. And defeating Juniata, the No. 3 ranked team in the country, at the Emory Invitational was a first for the Wittenberg program.

But finishing second in its own invitational competition over the weekend would have to rank at or near the top of the list. The Tigers beat two nationally ranked teams in thrilling 3-2 contests en route to the championship game against Mount St. Joseph, the eighth ranked team in the country. There the Tigers dropped a hard-fought 3-1 decision to take second place.

In the preliminary bracket competition, the Tigers warmed up Friday by defeating Mount Union, the No. 1 team in the region, by an 11-15, 15-8, 11-15, 15-9, 15-13 final. Then came a titanic battle against Ithaca, which came in No. 1 in the NY region, and an 11-15, 11-15, 15-5, 15-11, 15-9 decision that didn't end until well after 10 p.m.

On Saturday, Wittenberg kept the momentum with a 15-6, 15-12, 15-9 victory over Case Western Reserve University, ironically the last team to defeat the Tigers in NCAC action - in 1997. That set up a rematch with Mount St. Joseph on the same court they had met on 10 days previous. The Mounties got the best of the Tigers again, but the result was closer this time (7-15, 14-16, 15-13, 9-15).

Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was in top form over the weekend, earning her NCAC Player of the Week honors. Sophomore outside hitter Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and sophomore setter Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) also had fine weekends. Baume tops the league in kills and kills per game, while Habegger leads in assists and assists per game.

September 25, 2000--(12-5, 3-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers entered the 2000 season favored to add another NCAC title to their trophycase. After Saturday's two easy victories over visiting Denison and Hiram, the Tigers proved they are, in fact, the team to beat in the NCAC this year.

The week started with a step backward as Wittenberg fell to highly touted non-conference foe Mt. St. Joseph on Thursday, 3-0 (12-15, 7-15, 6-15). But the Tigers rebounded with 3-0 wins on Saturday over the Big Red (15-6, 15-7, 15-9) and the Terriers (15-13, 15-0, 15-7). Freshman Sarah Muzi (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak) continued her strong play, leading the Tigers with 10 kills and 10 digs in the Hiram victory, while senior Melodi Mann (Anna, Ohio/Jackson Center) contributed 28 digs in the two league matches. Sophomore Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) continues to lead the NCAC in kills with 4.47 kills per game, while sophomore Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) tops the league in assists with 13.9 per game.

September 18, 2000--(10-4, 1-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers showed again why they are the preseason favorites in the NCAC again this year, and also why they may be a factor when the postseason rolls around. On Wednesday, Wittenberg easily defeated Earlham, 3-0, to open conference action, and then over the weekend, the Tigers went 2-2 in the Emory Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.

In the win over Earlham, a young team that went on to win the Heidelberg Invitational over the weekend, the Tigers controlled things from the outset. Wittenberg won 15-11, 15-4, 15-10 as sophomores Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern), Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) and Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) all finished in double digits in kills. Sophomore Shelli Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) had 47 assists.

In the weekend tournament, which featured some of the top competition in the country, Wittenberg finished a misleading seventh, losing out on several tiebreakers despite defeating eventual runner-up Juniata in an exciting 3-2 match. Freshman middle hitter Sarah Muzi (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak) had a breakout weekend, recording 39 kills, 11 blocks and 26 digs in the tournament.

Next game 9/12 vs. Earlham

September 12, 2000--(7-2, 0-0 NCAC)--After opening the 2000 season with a 5-0 performance in the Alma Invitational, the Tigers continued their strong play against better competition last weekend at the Ohio Northern Invitational. Wittenberg finished 2-2 in the four matches played there, defeating Manchester and Thomas More in three games each, and falling to Ohio Northern and Mt. St. Joseph by identical 3-1 scores.

Sophomore Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern), last year's NCAC Player of the Year, was again the story for the Tigers. She paced the team in kills with 75 in the four matches, while sophomore Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) added 42 over the weekend.

Wittenberg begins its NCAC title defense Tuesday with a home match against Earlham. The Tigers were a perfect 8-0 in the league a year ago.

Next game 9/12 vs. Earlham

September 4, 2000--(5-0, 0-0 NCAC)--The volleyball team started its 2000 season in strong fashion as well. Coming off a 21-15 campaign in 1999 - which included a perfect 8-0 NCAC championship run - Wittenberg won five matches on Friday and Saturday to capture the Alma Invitational. The Tigers defeated Carthage, Aquinas, St. Mary's, Alma and Spring Harbor. Wittenberg dropped just two games in the five matches. Sophomore Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern), last year's NCAC Player of the Year, topped the squad in kills twice, but she had plenty of help from freshman Michelle Emming (West Chester, Ohio/Mt. Notre Dame), who paced the team in kills twice as well.

Next game 9/8 & 9/9 @ Ohio Northern