Live Stats | Live Video Stream | Championship Website
TIFFIN, Ohio—The top-seeded and ninth-ranked (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Heidelberg University volleyball team will host the semifinal and final rounds of the 2011 Ohio Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5 at Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin, Ohio. No. 2 seed Otterbein University faces No. 3 seed University of Mount Union in the first semifinal match on Friday at 5 p.m., while the Berg hosts No. 4 seed Baldwin-Wallace College in Friday’s second semifinal match at 7 p.m.
The winner of each semifinal-round match will face each other in Saturday’s championship match at 2 p.m. Live stats for all matches will be available at http://www.heidelberg.edu/statcrew/vb/xlive.htm. A live video stream of all three matches will also be available at http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/volleyball/schedule-0/vb2011/oacsemifinals. Josh Stallings and Drew Felton have the call.
Adult admission to the semifinal round is $10 (valid for both matches), while admission to Saturday’s championship match is $7. Admission to all matches for senior citizens is $5, $2 for non-OAC students under 18 and free for OAC students. OAC Lifetime Passes will be honored for all championships. Regular-season passes will not be honored.
The Berg, Otterbein and Mount Union each advanced to the semifinals via sweep during Tuesday’s quarterfinal round match-ups, while B-W won three straight sets to defeat Ohio Northern University, 3-2, in Berea. The semifinals are featuring the top four seeds for the fourth consecutive year.
#1 Heidelberg (30-5, 9-0 OAC)
Under the direction of 12th-year head coach Jason Miller, Heidelberg began the season ranked 12th by the American Volleyball Coaches Association before vaulting all the way to fifth during the midst of a 20-match winning streak. Three of its five losses this season have come against the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3-ranked teams in the nation. The Berg captured its third straight Ohio Athletic Conference regular season crown by finishing league play a perfect 9-0 for the second straight year. The Tri-Color owns a 22-match winning streak against conference opponents dating back to the beginning of the 2010 season. Heidelberg is making its 20th appearance in the OAC tournament and fifth consecutive, and owns a 13-18 all-time record in the tournament, including nine semfinal appearances, four finals appearances and one championship. 2011 marks the fifth straight semifinals appearance for the Berg.
#2 Otterbein (26-4, 8-1 OAC)
Led by fifth-year head coach Monica McDonald, Otterbein won eight of nine matches and 11 of 13 to start the season before closing regular season play with a 14-match winning streak, prior to its quarterfinal win on Tuesday against Marietta in Westerville. Over its last 15 matches, all wins, the Cardinals have dropped just two sets. Two of the team’s four losses this season have come to ranked teams in No. 1 Calvin (Mich.) College (Sept. 3) and No. 8 Heidelberg (Sept. 24). In addition, the Cardinals upset then-No. 3 Wittenberg University at home (Oct. 1). Otterbein is making its 15th appearance in the OAC tournament, fourth straight and 11th in the last 12 seasons. The Cardinals are 4-14 all-time in the tournament and are appearing in just their fourth semifinals, but third straight. Otterbein is looking to advance to the finals for the first time in school history. The Cardinals are 2-3 in three previous tournament appearances with McDonald at the helm.
#3 Mount Union (22-7, 7-2 OAC)
#3 Mount Union (22-7, 7-2 OAC)
Sixth-year head coach Leigh Ann Swartz led Mount Union to a 7-1 start before guiding the Purple Raiders on a nine-match winning streak, as they sprinted to a 17-4 mark over the season’s first 21 matches. Mount Union is making its 22nd appearance in the OA¬¬C tournament, including 15th straight, and is 15-21 all-time. The Purple Raiders have made the semifinal round 14 times and advanced to the finals once (1999). Mount Union is 5-5 in five previous appearances under Swartz, advancing to the semifinals in each season. The Purple Raiders have played the fewest sets (101) among the four teams in the 2011 OAC Tournament semifinals, posting 13 sweeps, a 6-2 record in four-set matches and a perfect 3-0 mark in five-set matches.
#4 Baldwin-Wallace (18-12, 5-4 OAC)
Guided by 17th-year head coach Vicki Brault, Baldwin-Wallace raced out to an 8-0 record to start the season, but finished 10-12 in its final 22 matches. Despite dropping its first two sets against Ohio Northern University in Tuesday’s quarterfinal match in Berea, the Yellow Jackets won three straight sets to squeak past the Polar Bears. B-W is making its 23rd appearance in the OAC tournament, including its 14th under Brault, and is 22-21 all-time in the tournament. Making their 16th semifinal appearance in 2011, the Jackets’ are looking to advance to their ninth finals appearance in school history. B-W has won one tournament championship. The Jackets won three straight matches to close regular season play, have won four consecutive matches and five of their last six. During that stretch, B-W has won 16 of 23 sets. The Yellow Jackets are 14-12 in 13 previous tournament appearances under Brault, with seven semifinal appearances, four finals appearances and one championship (2000).