1999 Wittenberg Volleyball Press Releases

November 2, 1999--(18-14, 8-0 NCAC)

Wittenberg closed out its regular season in competition last week hosting Division II powerhouse University of Findlay and traveling to the Calvin Invitational for weekend action. The Tigers fell to Findlay in three hard-fought games and then fell in the opening game of the Calvin Invitational to nationally ranked Hope College in three games.

Wittenberg ended the weekend on a winning mark, posting victories over Hanover College in three games, St. Mary's College in five games and Kalamazoo College in three games. The Tigers finished the tournament with a fifth place mark. Freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was selected to the all-tournament team for her performance in the weekend tournament.

Freshman Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) had an outstanding weekend with 64 kills, 52 digs and three aces in five matches for the Tigers. She is second on the team in kills with 319.

Baume and freshman setter Shelly Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) each are ranked in latest NCAC report with Baume third in the conference in kills with a 3.55 average and Habegger is first in the conference in assists, averaging 11.92 per game.

The Tigers face Oberlin on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the NCAC Tournament and with a win will host the NCAC semifinal and final rounds on Nov. 5-6.

October 26, 1999--(15-12, 8-0 NCAC)--

The Tigers traveled to the University of California-San Diego for a match last week and fell to the nationally ranked Tigers in four games. Freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) recorded 13 kills and seven digs and freshman setter Shelly Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) had 25 assists and 12 digs for the Tigers.

Baume is fourth in the conference in kills per game with 3.34 and Habegger is first in the conference in assists with 11.79 per game.

Senior captains Karla Durren (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids) and Laura Mayer (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) will compete in their final regular season home game this week when Division II University of Findlay visits at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The Tigers finish out their regular season schedule at the Calvin Invitational this weekend. Wittenberg has clinched the top seed and will host the NCAC Tournament Nov. 5-6.

October 18, 1999--(15-11, 8-0 NCAC)--

The Tigers clinched the top seed in the conference tournament with an undefeated conference record following three victories last week.

Wittenberg defeated non-conference opponent Thomas More in three games last Thursday and then went on to defeat its final two conference opponents Kenyon and Wooster on Saturday.

Freshman Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Newark Catholic) had an outstanding performance last week, averaging 5.1 kills per game. Against Kenyon, she recorded a team-high 21 kills and seven digs.

Freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) is fourth in the conference in kills with 3.36 kills per game and freshman Shelly Habegger (Curtice, Ohio/Clay) is leading the conference in assists with 12.00 per game.

This week the Tigers face the Division III defending national champion UC-San Diego on Tuesday.

October 12, 1999--(8-11, 2-0 NCAC)--

The Tigers saw a week of conference action as they played four NCAC opponents in three days, and posting victories in all four matches. Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan 3-2 in a hard-fought five game contest on Thursday, defeated Hiram 3-0 on Friday night and then played Oberlin and Allegheny on Saturday winning 3-0 over Oberlin and 3-1 over Allegheny.

Freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was named the NCAC Athlete of the Week for her performance last week where she averaged 5.8 kills and 3.1 digs in 13 games for the Tigers. Against the Bishops, she had 32 kills and 19 digs, and against the Gators she finished with 23 kills and 13 digs.

The Tigers play at home all this week when they host non-conference opponent Thomas More on Thursday and then finish their NCAC schedule with Kenyon and Wooster on Saturday.

October 4, 1999--(8-11, 2-0 NCAC)-- In last week's action, the Tigers faced a tough schedule with games against three nationally ranked schools. Wittenberg opened the week traveling to Mt. St. Joseph where it fell to the seventh ranked team in the nation in three games. In weekend action, the Tigers hosted their own eight-team invitational where Wittenberg finished fourth overall. The Tigers earned victories against Gettysburg and Kalamazoo but lost to nationally ranked Muskingum and Ohio Northern.

Freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) was named to the all-tournament team for her performance, which included 49 kills, 54 digs and three blocks. Baume is second on the team in kills with 149. Senior Karla Durren (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids) has made an outstanding comeback from an ankle injury earlier this season and is leading the team in blocks with 71 and is fourth on the team in kills.

Wittenberg faces a week of conference action when it travels to Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday and plays Oberlin and Allegheny on Saturday. The Tigers are currently first in the conference and have won the conference title three of the last four years.

September 28, 1999--(6-8, 2-0 NCAC)--In last week's action, the Tigers hosted Denison in their second conference game of the season, posting 15-8, 15-11, 15-13 wins to improve their mark to 6-8 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC.

Senior Laura Mayer (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) has played a major role in the success of the Tigers and is fifth in the conference in kills with 3.16 kills per game and is second in the conference in blocks with .96 blocks per game. Several newcomers have played impressionable roles for the Tigers including freshman Teresa Murphy (Blacklick, Ohio/Neward Catholic) who is leading the team in digs with 138 and freshman Brittany Baume (Springfield, Ohio, Southeastern) who is third on the team in kills.

September 20, 1999--(5-8, 1-0 NCAC)--The Tigers opened the season hosting their own invitational the first weekend of September with some of the top teams in the country visiting. Wittenberg finished with a 1-3 overall record and a victory over Hope College before falling to Georgetown College, and NAIA program, Emory University and Juniata College. The Tigers then traveled to Ohio Northern fir its annual tournament where they defeated Manchester College and Thomas More, but fell to Ohio Northern and Mt. St. Joseph.

Last week, the Tigers began defense of the NCAC title with a conference matchup against Earlham where they won in three straight games. Wittenberg traveled to St. Benedict, Minnesota for its weekend invitational where it defeated Concordia College but fell to UW-Lacrosse, UW-Platteville, and St. Benedict.

Leading the Tigers in kills is sophomore Julie Sell (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in 1998 and senior Laura Mayer (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) each with 3.04 kills a game. They are tied for fourth in the conference in attack leaders.

Wittenberg continues conference action this week when it hosts Denison on Thursday.