Volleyball
2004 News Releases
All Releases Written by: Ryan Maurer
Director of Sports Information
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu
November 23, 2004
Twenty-Eight Wittenberg Student-Athletes And Two Coaches Earn Fall Sport Postseason AwardsSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Another banner fall sports season has reaped rich rewards for 27 Wittenberg University athletes who were selected to All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams over the last two weeks. Read More ...
November 22, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Places Four Players On NCAA Division III All-America TeamsSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The 2004 season may have come to an abrupt close with a 3-0 defeat at the University of La Verne on Saturday night, but the Wittenberg volleyball team did receive good news over the weekend as four players were honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with All-America honors. Read More ...
November 29, 2004
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Monica McDonald
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Playing before a packed house, the Tigers looked disjointed from the outset. La Verne took control with the match tied at 4-4 in the first game, winning several points in a row with a blocking and defensive scheme that threw the Tigers completely off their game. Wittenberg made a stunning 12 attack errors in 41 chances in the first game, and La Verne's blockers were outstanding in spearheading a dominating 30-16 win.
In the second game, Wittenberg started out better, but a big La Verne run provided the necessary momentum. While Wittenberg fought its way through the Leopards' blocking schemes better, the Tigers still couldn't attack with enough efficiency or defend La Verne's many offensive weapons. The Leopards seized a demoralizing 2-0 lead with a 30-25 game victory.
Wittenberg seemed to regain its composure in Game 3, pulling out to leads as large as six points. But everything disintegrated suddenly as La Verne won 11 of 12 points to turn a 20-16 deficit into a commanding 27-21 advantage. Wittenberg rallied to within 28-26 before La Verne scored the final two points on kills to advance to the Final Four.
Senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) was high in kills with 12, the only Tiger in double figures. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) distributed 30 assists, and senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) led with 21 digs.
Next: Season Complete
November 19, 2004
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Emily Dixon
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Wittenberg reached the quarterfinals with a pair of thorough victories in the regional competition hosted by Ohio Northern University last weekend. The top-seeded Tigers pounced on Alma, 3-0, on Friday, and then claimed a 3-0 win over eighth-ranked Mount St. Joseph on Saturday.
Against Mount St. Joseph, champions of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the match went back-and-forth throughout the first two games before the Tigers kicked things into gear to claim Game 3 with relative ease. The final game scores were 38-36, 30-26 and 30-23.
Senior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) finished with 15 kills, senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) added 13, freshman outside hitter Emily Bell (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) chipped in with 12 and junior middle hitter Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) rounded out a diverse offensive attack with 10. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) was expert in spreading things around with 47 assists, and she added eight kills, four blocks and 12 digs. Senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) led the defensive effort with 25 digs, leading four players in double figures in that category.
Against 18th-ranked and once-beaten Alma in Friday's regional semifinal, the game scores in the 3-0 win were 30-21, 31-29 and 30-21. It was the second straight year that the Tigers, champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament for an eighth straight season, defeated Alma in a second round national tournament match.
McDonald was the team leader in kills with 15 in the match, followed by Bell with 12 and Fox with 10. Yuskewich, who leads all teams in the NCAA Division III Tournament with 16 assists per game, was outstanding with 49 assists.
Wittenberg's next foe, La Verne, comes in with a 31-3 record and a No. 3 ranking nationally after claiming the West Region title. La Verne won its 18th Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship in 2004, and the Leopards are shooting for the fourth NCAA Division III national championship - the last one coming in 2001.
Wittenberg, champion of the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament for the eighth straight year in 2004, is making its 10th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and ninth in a row (1993, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04). The Tigers are now 9-9 in their national tournament appearances.
Yuskewich, the conference leader in assists and assists per game for a third straight year in 2004, leads the balanced, experienced Tigers. Yuskewich holds school and conference records for assists in a career and a season. In the two regional tournament matches, Yuskewich had 96 assists, bringing her season total to 1,517 and her career total to 6,176, fourth-most in NCAA Division III history based on records prior to the 2004 season.
Schmid, the conference leader in digs and digs per game, holds school and conference records for digs in a season and a career, and she added 61 more in two tournament matches. If the season ended today, Schmid would break the NCAA Division III record for digs in a game with 8.77, and she is now just 75 digs shy of the NCAA Division III record of 1,110 digs in a season, set last year by Maryville's Karen Tobias, who also holds the career record by a wide margin. With 2,669 career digs, Schmid stands no worse than fourth all-time in NCAA Division III history, based on the records prior to the 2004 season.
BREAKING NEWS: Yuskewich was named NCAC Player of the Year for a third straight year and Schmid was named NCAC Libero of the Year for a second straight year. Fox joined them on first-team All-NCAC. McDonald and Dixon claimed second-team all-conference honors.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region awards also came out Wednesday, and for a third year in a row four Tiger players were named to it. Yuskewich earned the award for a third straight year, while McDonald, Fox and Schmid all were selected for a second time in their collegiate careers. Dixon made honorable mention.
Next: 11/20 at La Verne, 7 p.m.
NCAA Div. III Tournament
November 17, 2004
Wittenberg Places Four Players On All-Region Honor RollsCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Wittenberg placed four players on the 2004 All-Great Lakes Region honor roll, and a fifth player on the honorable mention list. Read More ...
November 17, 2004
All-NCAC Volleyball Squad Announced; Yuskewich Repeats As Player Of The YearCLEVELAND, Ohio — Wittenberg senior Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, OH/Bishop Watterson) has been named Player of the Year to highlight the 2004 All-North Coast Athletic Conference volleyball selections. She becomes the second player to earn NCAC Player of the Year recognition three consecutive years. Read More ...
November 15, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Sent to California For NCAA Division III Tournament Quarterfinal MatchSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Champions of the Great Lakes Regional for the second time in three years, the second-ranked Wittenberg Tigers have been shipped west - far west - for this weekend's NCAA Division III quarterfinal match. Sporting a record of 35-2 after defeating Alma College and the College of Mount St. Joseph at Ohio Northern University last weekend to win the regional, the Tigers will next travel to the University of La Verne near Los Angeles, Calif., for a date with the third-ranked Leopards at 10 p.m. (EST) Saturday, Nov. 20. Read More ...
November 11, 2004
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Kristin Fox
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A win would advance the Tigers to their third straight regional championship, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday. The national quarterfinals are set for Saturday, Nov. 20, and the Final Four is slated for Nov. 26-27, in Rochester, Minn. Tickets for the regional tournament are $4 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children 12 and under.
The Tigers, who are now 33-2 overall, advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament by sweeping two home matches in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend.
In Friday's NCAC Tournament semifinal, the Tigers won convincingly, 3-0, over fourth-seeded Denison. The Tigers started slowly in all three games but finished with a flourish each time, especially in the third game, winning 10 of the last 13 points. Senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) was outstanding, knocking down 18 kills in 39 attempts for a sparkling .359 attack percentage. Also reaching double digits offensively were junior middle hitter Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) and senior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) with 10 kills each. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) distributed 43 assists and seven kills.
Defensively, the Tigers were paced by senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) with 38 digs, freshman outside hitter Emily Bell (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) with 18 digs and McDonald with 16 digs. Dixon topped the Tigers with four total blocks, including three solos.
In Saturday's championship match, the Tigers defeated second-seeded Hiram, 3-0, to capture their eighth consecutive NCAC Tournament title and 10th overall in school history. It was the 23rd consecutive NCAC Tournament win for the Tigers, dating back to 1996. That goes along with a 59-match NCAC regular season win streak that goes all the way back to 1997.
The Tigers dominated the match throughout, jumping out to big, demoralizing leads in the first two games and then rallying from four points down in the third game behind the serving of senior Aubrey Anderson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) (five straight points), McDonald (four straight points) and Fox (three straight points).
Individually, Wittenberg finished with an outstanding attack percentage of .287 as three players reached double figures in kills - McDonald and Fox with 13 each and Dixon with 12. Yuskewich topped her season average of 14.21 assists per game as she distributed 45 in the three-game victory, to go along with six block assists. Defensively, Schmid led all players with 26 digs. The all-tournament team included four Tigers - McDonald, Schmid, Dixon and Yuskewich, the tournament MVP.
The Great Lakes Regional figures to be one of the most difficult in the nation with four ranked teams among the six in the bracket. Wittenberg's record against teams ranked in the current top 25 is 8-2, with the only two losses coming on the opposing team's home court in the final match of a weekend tournament. The only team in the Great Lakes Regional that Wittenberg played during the regular season was Ohio Northern, which the Tigers defeated 3-0 on Sept. 25 in the Wittenberg Invitational II.
The Tigers have reached the Sweet 16 five times in school history and the national quarterfinals once. Wittenberg's NCAA Division III Tournament record is 7-9.
BREAKING NEWS: Kristin Fox has been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV College Division Women's Volleyball Third-Team in balloting just announced today. Fox was one of 18 student-athletes chosen from an amazingly deep, strong field of more than 100 volleyball players from throughout a five-state region. Last year, Lindsay Nelson was also so honored.
Next: 11/12 vs. Alma/Benedictine, 4:30 p.m.
NCAA Div. III Tournament
November 8, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Team To Play Friday in NCAA Division III Regional TournamentSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team, ranked second in the nation after a phenomenal 33-2 regular season, has earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 10th time in school history and the ninth year in a row. The Tigers received a bye as the No. 1 seeded team in the Great Lakes Regional bracket and will take on the winner of a first-round match between Alma College and Benedictine University at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Read More ...
October 28, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Team Hosts Final Invitational Tournament of the YearSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team concludes the 2004 regular season on Oct. 29 and 30 by hosting Wittenberg Volleyball Invitational III. Five other schools - Muskingum, Wooster, Mount Union, Franklin and Capital - will join Wittenberg to comprise a solid six-team tournament on two courts in the university's HPER Center. Read More ...
October 29, 2004
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Emilie Schmid
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The Wittenberg Volleyball Invitational III is scheduled for this weekend as a final tune-up. A total of six schools are involved as Muskingum, Wooster, Mount Union, Franklin and Capital join Wittenberg to comprise a solid six-team field.
The Tigers are putting the finishing touches on the most successful regular season in school history. A core group of five seniors has put everything together this year and has led the team to an astounding 27-2 overall record, including a mark of 8-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for a 10th straight regular season championship. Wittenberg will host the NCAC Tournament for an eighth straight year on Nov. 5-6, and the Tigers are the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region, which includes two other programs ranked in the top eight nationally. Wittenberg's record against teams ranked in the current top 25 is 7-2, with the only two losses coming on the opposing team's home court in the final match of a weekend tournament.
Last weekend, Wittenberg went 3-1 in the Emory National Invitational, defeating Meredith, Berry and nationally ranked California State-Hayward before falling to host Emory in the tourney's final match. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) all earned mention on the all-tournament team.
Yuskewich, who holds the school and conference records for assists in a season and a career, has added the school record for career blocks with 323, moving past Laura Mayer, who had 319 from 1996-99. She leads the NCAC and ranks among the top five nationally in assists per game at 14.32 and she is second on the team in blocks with 74. At her current pace, Yuskewich will likely reach the top three in NCAA Division III history for career assists.
Schmid holds the school and conference records for digs in a career, and she is on pace to shatter both marks for assists in a season in 2004. With 804 digs and a per-game average of 8.55, Schmid is just 31 digs away from the school and NCAC record of 835 digs in a season by Kim Woodring in 1996, and at her current pace, she has an opportunity to challenge the national record of 1,110. She also has moved into the top 10 in the NCAA Division III record books for career digs.
Next: 10/29-30 Wittenberg Inv. III
October 22, 2004
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Sarah Yuskewich
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The Tigers took their lofty ranking and phenomenal record to Emory University for a tournament filled with top-flight teams this weekend. Then Wittenberg wraps up the regular season with the third home tournament of the season next weekend. The Tigers have already clinched a 10th straight North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title and No. 1 seed and home court advantage for the upcoming NCAC Tournament on Nov. 5-6.
While the Tigers are pushing toward heights previously unseen as a team, several individuals are moving into uncharted territory as well. Senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) has already captured the school and conference records for assists in a season and a career, and she set the NCAA Division III mark for assists in a season two years ago. Now she is moving up the all-time ranks for career assists - with 5,718 going into play this weekend she stands eighth in NCAA Division III history. On her current pace, she will probably move into the top three all-time, with the record standing at 7,008 by Ushi Patel of Rochester Institute of Technology.
Yuskewich, who was named to the Elmhurst All-Tournament team along with senior outside hitter Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic), leads the NCAC and ranks among the top five nationally with 14.51 assists per game this season.
Senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) has also already broken the school and conference records for digs, and she is now moving up the Division III charts as well. Schmid stands 10th all-time in career digs with 2,302 after collecting 668 already this season. She is on pace to break the school and conference records for digs in a season, and her current pace will probably push her into the top five all-time in NCAA Division III history.
Next: 10/22-23 at Emory Tournament
October 14, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Wins 10th Straight NCAC Regular Season ChampionshipEmilie Schmid Breaks School Record For Career Digs
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team extended their mastery of the North Coast Athletic Conference last night as the Tigers wrapped up their 10th straight regular season championship. With a convincing 3-0 win at Denison University, the Tigers swept the NCAC regular season with an 8-0 record and earned the No. 1 seed and home court advantage for the 2004 NCAC Tournament. Read More ...
October 8, 2004
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Emily Dixon
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Next up is a first-place showdown with Hiram, the 2003 NCAC regular season and tournament runner-up, on Friday at the HPER Center. In conjunction with Parents Weekend, the program's five seniors will be honored for their tremendous accomplishments during the last four years prior to the match.
Last week, the Tigers defeated Oberlin on Friday and Wooster on Saturday, both on the road. After the match against Hiram on Friday, the Tigers close out NCAC regular season action next week with matches against Ohio Wesleyan at home on Tuesday and Denison on the road on Wednesday.
Leading the charge, as they have so often in recent years, are seniors Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) and Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic), who each rank among the team and NCAC leaders in various statistical categories. Yuskewich leads in assists and has already broken the school and NCAC records for career assists, while Schmid leads in digs and is nearing school and conference marks for career digs.
In addition, junior Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) continues to be a force in the middle, making a great tandem with Fox and Yuskewich as the team's first line of defense. Dixon has 38 total blocks and a per-game average of 0.88. She is also one of five players averaging more than three kills per game in 2004 - the others being Fox, McDonald and freshmen Emily Bell (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran) and Jan Kehres (Alliance, Ohio/Alliance).
Next: 10/8 vs. Hiram, 7 p.m.
October 1, 2004
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Emilie Schmid
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With four victories over the week and five in the last week, the Tigers improved to 15-1 overall and 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. In so doing, they dispatched four of the five opponents by 3-0 scores, including No. 7 ranked Ohio Northern, the defending NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional champion.
Ranked second in the nation in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, Wittenberg is getting the expected great performances from its outstanding senior class, which includes four All-Americans, and some solid contributions from what has the potential to be an outstanding freshman class as well. Leading the charge among the first-year players is Emily Bell (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran), who is fourth on the team with 126 kills, third on the team with 16 service aces and third on the team with 182 digs. She has had several great games, including a 12-kill, 28-dig performance in a 3-1 win over Baldwin-Wallace last Saturday.
Of note among the seniors are the accomplishments of setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), who leads the NCAC by a wide margin in assists, and libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), who leads the NCAC in digs for a second straight year. Both rank among the national leaders in their respective categories.
Schmid reached a milestone just one week after Yuskewich became the first player in NCAC history to top 5,000 career assists. Schmid recorded her 2,000th career dig in the win over Ohio Northern. She is approaching both the Wittenberg record for career digs and the NCAC record. On her current pace, Schmid will reach both marks within the next two weeks.
Offensively, the balanced Tigers boast four players with more than 100 kills. Along with Bell, seniors Monica McDonald (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) and junior Emily Dixon (Granville, Ohio/Granville) form a potent attack.
Next up for the Tigers are NCAC matches at Oberlin on Friday and Wooster on Saturday. The Scots are one of the top contenders in the conference this season.
Next: 10/1 at Oberlin, 7:30 p.m.
10/2 at Wooster, Noon
September 24, 2004
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Sarah Yuskewich
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Wittenberg, 10-1 overall, welcomes seven teams to Springfield this weekend, most notably Ohio Northern, ranked No. 7 in the nation. The two teams play at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III Tournament Great Lakes Regional championship match won by ONU in five exciting games.
The Tigers opened the 2004 season with a four-match sweep of the Juniata Tournament Sept. 3-4, including a key early season win over the host team, which is currently ranked third in the polls. The following weekend, Wittenberg won three straight to capture the top spot in the Wittenberg Invitational I. Last weekend, the Tigers extended their season-opening win streak to nine before falling to host Washington University, the defending national champion, in the Teri Clemens Invitational. Wittenberg was still awarded first place in the tourney, which featured four of the top 14 teams in the country, by virtue of tiebreaker criteria.
The Tigers got back on the winning track Wednesday in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener against Kenyon. Wittenberg is the preseason NCAC favorite again in 2004, hardly a surprise considering that the Tigers haven't lost a league match since 1997 and have won the last seven regular season and tournament titles.
Statistically, senior setter Sarah Yuskewich (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) tops the conference and ranks among the national leaders again in assists per game. The NCAA Division III record-holder for assists in a season, Yuskewich is averaging 14.87 helpers per game in 2004, and last week she became first player in NCAC history and the 17th player in NCAA Division history to surpass 5,000 assists for her career. As a result, Yuskewich was named NCAC and Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Week.
Senior middle hitter Kristin Fox (Galion, Ohio/Galion) was named NCAC Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after she led the Tigers in kills in all three Wittenberg Invitational I matches. She tops the team and ranks second in the NCAC in kills per game, a year after topping the Tigers in kills while filling in as an outside hitter.
Rounding things out, senior libero Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) is averaging 9.00 digs per game to lead the NCAC and rank in the top five nationally. The 2003 Libero of the Year, Schmid led the conference in digs and ranked third nationally in the category.
Next: Wittenberg Invitational
9/24 vs. Allegheny, 4:30 p.m.
9/24 vs. Calvin, 8:30 p.m.
9/25 vs. Ohio Northern, 11:30 a.m.
9/25 vs. Baldwin-Wallace, 3:30 p.m.
September 23, 2004
Wittenberg Hosts Second Invitational Volleyball Tournament of 2004 SeasonSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team hosts its annual Wittenberg Invitational II this weekend, featuring the usual array of high-quality competition. Seven teams will compete over a two-day span, beginning at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and concluding with a match between Baldwin-Wallace and the host Tigers at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. The teams will compete on two courts in Wittenberg's HPER Center. Read More ...
September 21, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Standout Sarah Yuskewich Named National Player of the WeekSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — There are precious few collegiate awards and individual honors that Wittenberg senior volleyball standout Sarah Yuskewich hasn't already earned. So on Monday, she claimed one for the second time in her career, garnering Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Week honors for her outstanding, record-breaking performance in the Teri Clemens Invitational at Washington University over the weekend. Read More ...
September 8, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball To Host First of Three 2004 Invitational Tournaments This WeekendSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University volleyball team opens the home portion of its 2004 season with the first of three tournaments at the HPER Center on Sept 10 and 11. Three schools - Mount Union, Waynesburg and Wilmington - are scheduled to compete in the Wittenberg Invitational I. Each team will play three matches during the two-day event. Read More ...
August 27, 2004
Wittenberg Volleyball Ranked No. 8 In American Volleyball Coaches Association PollSPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University's volleyball team has set its usual lofty goals in 2004, which is hardly surprising considering that the Tigers are taking aim at an eighth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a team that features four senior All-Americans. Their peers have taken notice, putting the Tigers at No. 8 in the CSTV/AVCA NCAA Division III Coaches Preseason Poll. Read More ...
August 23, 2004
2004 NCAC Preseason Poll (pdf file)CLEVELAND, Ohio — Defending champion Wittenberg University emerged as the preseason favorite in balloting by North Coast Athletic Conference volleyball coaches conducted via email ballot. Read More ...
June 16, 2004
Wittenberg University Volleyball Team Makes the Most of Educational Trip to SpainSPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University volleyball team didn't just play a bunch of matches in Spain. The Tigers bonded as a team, and grew as individuals in a rich and rewarding cultural/education/athletic experience that none will soon forget. Read More ...
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