"Wazie Tournament"

  The MVNC women's volleyball team used a determined team effort to come from behind and claim the two-day 1996 Wazie Invitational on Saturday.

  The Lady Cougars (18-4) rallied from a two-game deficit in the semi-finals to defeat King (TN) College, and then came from a game down to knock off Huntington (IN) College in the championship match. With the victories, MVNC also increased its NAIA-record home winning streak to 61 consecutive matches.

  On Friday, the Lady Cougars opened the tournament against Westminster (PA) College. The Lady Titans (17-1) entered the match ranked 24th in the latest NAIA national poll. However, they were no match for the Lady Cougars as MVNC defeated them 15-10, 15-4, 15-10 to hand them their first loss of the season.

  Tara Seiter led the team with 12 kills and Rachel Widener finished with 11 kills. Seiter and Widener tied for the team lead with six blocks apiece, while Seiter also served up a team-high three aces. Christa DeLorenzo and Tammy Custer each added six kills to the winning effort.

  The semi-finals pitted the Lady Cougars against the Lady Tornado of King College. King (11-7) took the closely contested first game 20-18 after MVNC fought back from a 14-11 deficit. In the second game, the Lady Cougars held a 13-9 advantage only to see the Lady Tornado whirl off the final six points of the game for a 15-13 victory and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

  Then, refusing to give in, MVNC won the third and fourth games by the scores of 15-6 and 15-4. That forced a fifth and deciding game using rally scoring.

  The two teams traded points to a 5-5 tie. Then, King built a comfortable 12-9 lead. However, a kill by Seiter and blocks by DeLorenzo and Courtny Testa knotted the game at 12-12. The Lady Tornado had one last chance to win the game and match as they served with a 14-13 lead, but MVNC once again forced a sideout to tie the score at 14-14.

  The teams traded points to 15-15, and then the Lady Cougars took a 16-15 lead behind good team defense. With the crowd on its feet, MVNC finished off the game and the match as Seiter pounded a kill to put the stamp on the dramatic 17-15 victory.

  "This was an incredible effort on the part of our team," said MVNC head coach Paul Swanson. "They believed that they could win if they just took it one point at a time. King is a good team, and this was a great match to be involved in."

  Seiter led the team with 28 kills, nine blocks, and three aces, while Widener finished with 20 kills. DeLorenzo added 11 kills and three blocks, and Custer recorded eight kills. Custer, Testa, Erin Weddington, and Mandy Metzger each served up two aces.

  The championship match featured MVNC versus Huntington College. The Lady Foresters (6-8) rolled through their first two matches of the tournament without losing a single game. They continued their good play as they took the first game 15-8.

  The Lady Cougars began to get things going in the second game. Holding a slim 5-4 lead, MVNC quickly scored six straight points for an 11-4 cushion behind the serving of Widener and the hitting and blocking of Seiter.

  Huntington responded by closing the gap to 11-8, and then the teams traded points to 13-10. The Lady Foresters closed to 13-12, but back-to-back kills by Amber Rice and Seiter gave MVNC a 15-12 win.

  Huntington quickly jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the third game. However, the Lady Cougars slowly began to inch back a point at a time. Blocks by Custer and Seiter and an ace by Rice pulled MVNC to within 11-6. Then, good serving, another block by Seiter, and a kill by DeLorenzo trimmed the lead to 11-10.

  The Lady Foresters scored three of the next four points to take a 14-11 lead, but three more good serves by Seiter helped knot the score at 14-14. Huntington took a 15-14 lead, but Custer's serving and two straight kills from Widener gave the Lady Cougars a hard-fought 17-15 victory.

  The Lady Foresters did not give up in the fourth game as they took a commanding 13-5 lead. However, MVNC used its never-say-die determination to once again rally to tie the score at 13-13. Metzger served for eight straight points while Seiter smashed three kills and Custer blasted two more kills. After the teams traded points, Rice served for a 15-14 lead and Seiter slammed one more kill for a 16-14 victory and the tournament championship.

  "The team did so many good things today," said Swanson. "They never gave up. It is really nice to win this tournament, especially since we are at home."

  Widener led the team with 15 kills in the championship match, while Seiter and Custer each finished with 13 kills and two aces. Seiter also recorded a team-high 12 blocks, and Custer and Testa recorded four blocks apiece.

  For their efforts, Seiter and Widener were named to the All-Tournament team with Seiter being chosen the tournament's most valuable player.

  The Lady Cougars will return to action on Tuesday when they host Cedarville College in a Mid-Ohio Conference match.