Vo l l e y b a l l
2013-2014
Volleyball
ANDREA BEHLING MEGHAN VODOPICH
2013 Quick Facts General
School Name.........................................Wittenberg University Location............................................. Springfield, Ohio 45501 Founded..........................................................................1845 Enrollment......................................................................1,950 Nickname......................................................................Tigers Home Facility..........Pam Evans Smith Arena (HPER Center) Capacity.........................................................................3,000 National Affiliation...................................... NCAA Division III Conference.......................... North Coast Athletic Conference President................................................ Laurie Joyner, Ph.D. Alma Mater.................Loyola University New Orleans, 1986 Interim Athletics Director.............................. Dr. Jeff Ankrom Alma Mater...................................................Otterbein, 1978 Athletics Phone............................................. (937) 327-6450
Coaching Staff
Head Coach..................................................... Paco Labrador Alma Mater........................................................ Hiram, 1995 E-mail........................................... flabrador@wittenberg.edu Record at Wittenberg.........................323-46 (2003-present) Career Record............................................................... Same Assistant Coach...................................................... Amy Cox Volleyball Office............................................. (937) 327-6492 Athletic Trainer................................................. Ellen Crosbie Assistant Athletic Trainer............................... Molly Hopkins Assistant Athletic Trainer.............................Greg Schneider
Volleyball History
First Year.............................................Records begin in 1979 All-Time Record.............................................. 810-373 (.685) NCAC Regular Season Championships...........................18 NCAC Tournament Championships..................................18 NCAA Tournament Appearances......................................18 Last NCAA Tournament Appearance............................2012 Result....................... W, 3-0 vs. Ohio Northern (First Round) ...........................................W, 3-0 vs. Hope (Second Round) ............................ L, 2-3 vs. Calvin (Regional Championship)
KIAH MURRAY
Team Information
2012 Overall Record........................................................27-5 2011 NCAC Record (Finish) .................................... 8-0 (1st) Letterwinners Returning....................................................10 Brooke Barney, Andrea Behling, Melissa Emming, Kristina Fultz, Bryanna Jay, Haley Mucha, Kiah Murray, Kara Seidenstricker, Callan Swaim, Meghan Vodopich
Letterwinners Lost...............................................................4 Jessica Batanian, Hallie Donathan, Christina Gilene, Jordan Mungovan
Starters Returning................................................................4 MH Andrea Behling, OH Melissa Emming, MH Haley Mucha, RS Kara Seidenstricker
Starters Lost...........................................................2 + Libero OH Jessica Batanian, S Hallie Donathan, L Christina Gilene
Find the Tigers on www.facebook.com/wittenbergathletics
KARA SEIDENSTRICKER
CREDITS: 2013-14 Team Viewbook designed by John Strawn ‘07, associate director of sports information. Photography by university photographer Erin Pence ‘04, Kate Causbie ‘14 and Dave Kniffin.
Coaching Staff Head Coach Paco Labrador Wittenberg head coach Paco Labrador has won with more regularity than almost any other active NCAA coach. His career winning percentage of .875 in 10 seasons at the helm of the Tigers ranks first in all of NCAA Division III and second across all divisions. Overall, his sparkling career record stands at 323-46. Twenty-seven of those wins have come in NCAA Division III Tournament play, capped by a dominating run to the 2011 national championship. Labrador’s postseason record in 10 straight trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament is 27-9 and includes eight appearances in regional championship matches, three consecutive trips to the national semifinals between 2005 and 2007 and the university’s first NCAA title in any sport in 34 years in 2011, which was the first NCAA women’s volleyball title for any Ohio school. In 2007, Wittenberg put together an undefeated regular season, going 32-0, to set new standards for North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) programs. The momentum continued into the postseason as the Tigers picked up two more conference tournament wins and four NCAA Division III Tournament wins before losing to the eventual national champion Washington University in the national semifinals. During the unbeaten streak, Wittenberg won 17 consecutive matches without dropping a single game and posted a consecutive games streak of 54 in a row, which ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division III history. While the 2011 regular season didn’t measure up to the 2007 standards, the Tigers heated up at just the right time, ripping off six NCAA Division III Tournament victories (against five nationally ranked opponents) while dropping just a single set. After the season, Labrador was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year, a piece of hardware that now sits alongside Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year awards earned in 2004 and 2007 and NCAC Coach of the Year awards earned in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. Under Labrador’s guidance, 12 Tiger student-athletes have garnered All-America accolades, including the most highly decorated athlete in Wittenberg history, Sarah Yuskewich, who holds the Division III record for assists in a season and was a three-time first-team All-America honoree. The Tigers have dominated the NCAC under Labrador’s training. The Red and White have amassed a phenomenal 122-2 record in conference play under
Labrador and have hoisted nine regular season championship trophies and nine conference tournament trophies. In addition, Wittenberg has won five NCAA Division III Tournament Regional crowns during that time. Wittenberg has not only excelled on the court but also in the classroom under Labrador’s guidance. The Tigers have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award, given to teams that cumulatively average a 3.3 grade point average or higher, nine times since Labrador took the position in 2003. Additionally, seven Wittenberg players have earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District awards, with Emily Bell and Kimmie Dyer going on to become just the second and third Wittenberg volleyball players in school history to pick up Academic All-America honors (Bell: second-team in 2007; Dyer: third-team in 2011). The Tigers have even found success internationally during Labrador’s career. In the summers of 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013, the Wittenberg volleyball team competed in Spain. Labrador and his father, Jose, led the team on educational and cultural tours in historic towns and cities on off-days between competition dates against semi-pro and professional teams. Not surprisingly, each season following a team trip to Spain, the Tigers found a new level of volleyball success. The 2004 season resulted in a then program-best 35-3 overall record, with Labrador earning his first NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors. Those achievements were topped in 2007 with an NCAA final four appearance and in 2010, the Tigers were stopped only by eventual national champion Calvin. The community has benefited from the Tiger coach during the annual Wittenberg Fall Classic, which Labrador introduced in 2005. That year, Labrador organized a clothing drive in conjunction with the tournament in which participating teams and fans made donations to Hurricane Katrina victims. In 2007, the event focused on breast cancer awareness as Labrador provided pink warm-up shirts for all the teams and contributed profits from the tournament to the American Cancer Society. Labrador graduated from Hiram College, a member of the NCAC along with Wittenberg, in 1995 with degrees in psychology and exercise and sport science. He also holds a master of science from Miami University in sport studies, which he earned in 1997. He came to Wittenberg after four years as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University, where he was active in all phases of the program, including scouting and game preparation, recruiting, skill development and summer camps. Labrador and his wife Jill, a Title 1 Intervention Coach, reside in Yellow Springs with their daughters, Olivia and Isabel.
Assistant Coach Amy Cox Former Tiger standout Amy Cox joined the coaching staff in 2011 in a volunteer capacity. What a ride it turned out to be as Cox helped the Tigers to a 37-3 overall record, NCAC regular season and tournament titles and the program’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship in 2011. In 2012, Cox replaced Laura Jensen, who was named head coach at John Carroll, as the team’s full-time assistant coach. The Newark, Ohio, native knows multiple facets of the college game after converting from an outside hitter to the Tigers’ primary setter prior to her senior season. The
switch paid off, as evidenced by her first-team All-America honors. Cox’s outstanding work in the classroom also garnered her CoSIDA/Capital One second-team Academic All-District honors along with the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Student-Athlete Award in 2011. Cox also earned AVCA firstteam All-Great Lakes Region accolades in 2010 and was named all-conference in her final two seasons. She was named first-team All-NCAC in 2010 after leading the conference in assists, and in 2009 was named to the second team when she finished seventh in hitting percentage and 10th in blocks. Cox, a Newark Catholic High School product, graduated from Wittenberg with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2011.
Head Coaching Ledger Name Year(s) Matches Wins Losses Pct. Dottie Lemieux 1979-82 108 36 72 .333 A.D. Rodrigo 1983 23 12 11 .522 Jim Orr 1984-85 64 32 32 .500 Fran Ralston 1986 32 11 21 .344 Paul Gibboney 1987-88 65 34 31 .523 Cynthia Holliday 1989-93 175 109 66 .623 Connie Surowicz 1994-2002 347 253 94 .729 Paco Labrador 2003-present 369 323 46 .875 Totals 1979-present 1183 810 373 .685
2013-2014 VOLLEYBALL
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
4
NCAA FINAL FOUR APPEARANCES
4
INTERNATIONAL SUMMER TOURS
11
AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARDS
2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2011
Conducted Every Three Years 2004 • 2007 • 2010 • 2013 • NEXT TRIP: 2016
18
NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
16
NCAC PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
30 126 .875
Best in the North Coast Athletic Conference
1992 • 1993 • 1995 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2007 • 2008 • 2011 • 2012
AVCA ALL-AMERICANS
8 First Team • 7 Second Team 7 Third Team • 8 Honorable Mention
WEEKS RANKED IN AVCA TOP 10 Fifth All-Time Among NCAA Division III Programs
LABRADOR CAREER WIN PERCENTAGE Best Among Active NCAA Division III Coaches Second Among Active Coaches Across All NCAA Divisions
2011
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Athletics Facilities
ROSENCRANS FITNESS CENTER
PAM EVANS SMITH ARENA
Wittenberg Athletics Facilities The Wittenberg athletic facilities, a unique blend of old and new, provide opportunities for a wide variety of recreational and fitness activities. The Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center (HPERC) is the centerpiece of athletic activity. The main unit can be converted to three full-sized basketball courts, three volleyball courts or three tennis courts. It seats 3,000 spectators for intercollegiate athletic events, and 4,300 for concerts and other public events. A second unit houses six raquetball courts with an upper balcony for instruction and a 25-meter by 25-yard swimming pool with one- and three-meter diving boards, and a spectator viewing area. An athletic training room, locker rooms and team rooms are also located in the HPERC, which connects to the Wittenberg Field House, home of the Tigers since 1929, which houses offices and a state-of-the-art weight training facility. A 4,622-square-foot extension off the front of the HPERC opened in August 2005. The Bob Rosencrans Hall of Honor Fitness Center includes a wide range of weight training and cardiovascular equipment.
EDWARDS-MAURER FIELD
Edwards-Maurer Field and Earl F. Morris Track were renovated in 2005. EdwardsMaurer Field has a state-of-the-art artificial playing surface and Earl F. Morris Track is a 400-meter track outfitted with a similarly cutting-edge surface. The entire complex is lighted, and also serves as home to the Tiger football, track, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The David and Georgiana Albright Tennis Complex, a $2 million project completed in 1997, houses 12 tennis courts with a Dynaflex surface. Six of the courts are lighted, including two sunken center courts with space for seating. Situated a few blocks from campus are Bill Edwards Field, which offers playing and practice fields, and Betty Dillahunt field, home of the Tiger softball team. Less than two miles from campus Carleton Davidson Stadium, which opened in 2004, is the home of Tiger baseball. Owned and maintained by the City of Springfield, Carleton Davidson Stadium has seating capacity of 1,061, nearly half of which is under cover, a media center, locker rooms with showers and secured storage.
HPER CENTER NATATORIUM
CARLETON DAVIDSON STADIUM
2013-2014 VOLLEYBALL
8/31 9/1 9/1 9/7 9/8 9/8 9/14 9/14 9/15 9/15 9/19 9/22 9/25 9/28 10/2 10/5 10/6 10/6 10/10 10/13 10/19 10/20 10/20 10/26 10/26 10/27 11/2 11/3 11/3 11/8 11/9 11/10
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
WARTBURG % W, 3-1 WHITWORTH % W, 3-0 TRINITY (TX) % W, 3-1 at Juniata ! W, 3-2 vs. Christopher Newport ! W, 3-1 vs. Puget Sound ! W, 3-1 WASHINGTON-ST. LOUIS ^ L, 3-2 HOPE ^ W, 3-1 CALVIN ^ L, 3-0 MT. ST. JOSEPH ^ W, 3-1 at Denison* W, 3-0 at Wooster* W, 3-1 at Ohio Wesleyan* W, 3-0 at Indianapolis L, 3-1 KENYON* W, 3-0 MOUNT UNION W, 3-1 vs. Fairmont St. L, 3-2 at Urbana W, 3-2 DEPAUW* W, 3-1 at Oberlin* W, 3-0 HIRAM* W, 3-0 ALLEGHENY* W, 3-0 MARIETTA* W, 3-0 vs. Washington & Lee & W, 3-0 at Emory & W, 3-1 vs. Mass.-Boston & W, 3-1 OBERLIN + W, 3-0 WOOSTER + W, 3-0 DEPAUW + W, 3-0 vs. Ohio Northern # W, 3-0 vs. Hope # W, 3-0 at Calvin # L, 3-2 * NCAC Match • % Wittenberg National Invitational ! Juniata College Asics Invitational • ^ Wittenberg Fall Classic & Emory National Invitational • + NCAC Tournament • # NCAA Tournament
POSTSEASON AWARDS
All-NCAC: First Team – Jessica Batanian, Christina Gilene, Kara Seidenstricker Honorable Mention – Andrea Behling Player of the Year - Kara Seidenstricker Libero of the Year - Christina Gilene Newcomer of the Year - Kara Seidenstricker NCAC All-Tournament Team: Andrea Behling (MVP), Christina Gilene, Kara Seidenstricker CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District: Second Team - Jessica Batanian All-Great Lakes Region (AVCA): First Team - Andrea Behling, Christina Gilene, Kara Seidenstricker Honorable Mention - Jessica Batanian All-America (AVCA): First Team - Kara Seidenstricker Second Team - Christina Gilene Honorable Mention - Andrea Behling NCAA Division III Newcomer of the Year - Kara Seidenstricker
2012 Season North Coast Athletic Conference REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
The Tigers flew to Madrid on May 25, 2013, starting a 12-day trip to Spain which included matches against top Spanish competition and numerous educational and cultural opportunities in Toledo, Segovia, Valencia and Soria. Head Coach Paco Labrador’s philosophy stresses extracurricular and cultural development: “Every studentathlete who comes through our program will have the opportunity to travel abroad once in their four years, which is something we’re very proud of at Wittenberg.”
In 2012-2013, the Wittenberg Tigers... • Won 4 North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championships in football, women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s golf. • Finished in the top 5 in the final North Coast Athletic Conference standings in 16 of 23 sports • Finished 4th in the final standings for the NCAC Dennis Collins Memorial All-Sports Trophy • Earned 8 NCAC Player of the Year trophies • Earned 2 NCAC Coach of the Year trophies and 1 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year trophy • Placed 90 student-athletes on All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams • Placed 18 student-athletes on all-region teams and 6 on All-America teams • Earned 3 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District awards • Finished 91st in the NACDA Director’s Cup (NCAA Division III all-sports comparison) thanks to postseason appearances by 4 teams
2013 Season 2013 Volleyball Schedule 8/30 8/31 8/31 9/6 9/7 9/7 9/13 9/14 9/14 9/20 9/21 9/21 9/24 9/28 9/28 10/1 10/5 10/8 10/11 10/11 10/12 10/12 10/18 10/19 10/25 10/26 10/26 10/30 11/1 11/8-11/9
JOHNS HOPKINS % EMORY % ST. THOMAS (MN) % vs. Pacific Lutheran # vs. Ohio Northern # at Washington-St. Louis # JUNIATA & OTTERBEIN & MT. ST. JOSEPH & OBERLIN* WOOSTER* HEIDELBERG OHIO WESLEYAN* vs. Rose-Hulman at Transylvania at Kenyon* ALUMNAE GAME at DePauw* vs. Mount Union at Calvin at Hope vs. Bethany (WV) at Cedarville BALDWIN WALLACE at Hiram* at Allegheny* vs. Case Western DENISON* NORTHWESTERN OHIO NCAC Tournament
7:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. Noon 7:30 p.m. 11 a.m. 2:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 11 a.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
* NCAC Match • % Courtyard by Marriott National Invitational # Washington-St. Louis/ASICS National Invitational & Wittenberg Fall Classic To schedule a home match visit, contact Coach Labrador at flabrador@wittenberg.edu or 937-327-6492
HALEY MUCHA
MELISSA EMMING
WIT TENBERG VOLLEYBALL
2013-2014 VOLLEYBALL
Statement of Responsibility for Balance Between Academics & Athletics
Wittenberg Athletics Philosophy
Student-athletes are primarily responsible for balancing academics and athletics. However, recognizing the pressure that studentathletes face from competing time demands placed upon them by both professors and coaches, we establish the following statement of responsibility. The statement assumes that the student’s primary responsibility is to academic coursework and that practice sessions are always subordinate to class attendance. Students should work with advisers to schedule courses so that practices and contests are not in conflict with academic courses. Student-athletes are expected to contact professors in advance in order to resolve conflicts between class attendance and participation in athletic contests. It is recommended that student-athletes miss not more than four sessions of any class in a semester for regular season athletic contests. Permission of a Faculty Athletic Representative is required before additional excused absences will be permitted. Coaches will, as necessary, establish and maintain communications with the professors of team athletes regarding academic progress. Professors should feel free to contact coaches regarding the academic responsibilities of student-athletes.
The Wittenberg Athletic Department is an integral part of the university that strives to achieve the same standards of excellence that exist within various academic disciplines at the university. Further, the athletic department embraces the concept that the student-athletes are first and foremost students, possessing individual rights, academic abilities, personal interests and ambitions comparable to those of other members of the general student body. Wittenberg University is committed to the principles and practices of amateurism, student-athlete welfare, gender equity, sportsmanship and fair play, cultural diversity and overall athletics excellence, and this commitment shall reflect in every aspect of the athletics departmental operations.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, the volleyball team made history by becoming the first Wittenberg team in 34 years to win an NCAA Division III National Championship, and the first women’s team in school history to take home a national title. Check out the “Road to the Championship” feature on the volleyball team’s homepage on WittenbergTigers.com to see the entire journey.
The North Coast Athletic Conference and Wittenberg University work together to encourage good sportsmanship on the court, on the field and in the stands. The Wittenberg Athletics Department expects all competitors and spectators to help maintain an open, accepting and competitive environment in order to promote positive, enjoyable experiences for all involved with Division III athletics.