NEWS RELEASE

Iowa Wesleyan College Athletics

610 N. Main St.

Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641                                                                                                   October 27, 2005

Tigers celebrate third consecutive MCC volleyball crown on Senior Night

        MOUNT PLEASANT –  Undefeated champions once again, the Iowa Wesleyan College volleyball team completed its perfect run through the Midwest Classic Conference with a 30-23, 30-27, 30-16 sweep over Waldorf College Oct. 27 at Ruble Arena.

The Tigers (15-9 overall, 7-0 MCC) celebrated their third consecutive conference crown and 27th straight MCC victory before the home fans on Senior Night. IWC’s six seniors – Tiffany Bauer (Naperville, IL), Amanda Kruger (McLean, IL), Tina Kruckenberg (Iowa Falls, IA), Rebecca Dennis (Kansas City, MO), Michelle Sieler (Newton, IA) and Luren Baylon (Lima, Peru) – all started and played entire first game and set the tone for another Tiger victory.

        “They are a fantastic group of people,” said first-year coach Brian Dickens. “They are outstanding ladies and players. We had tremendous output from our seniors. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was a great ending to our regular season.”

        The Tigers recorded 63 kills, led by Baylon’s 26 slams which equaled the output of the entire Waldorf squad (13-17, 2-5). Baylon connected on 26-of-40 attempts with a .575 hitting percentage.

        Kruger tallied a season-high nine kills while Bauer and Sieler collected eight apiece. Bauer made good on 8-of-15 attacks for a season-high .400 hitting percentage.

        Kruckenberg handed out 56 assists and Sieler chipped in a team-high 20 digs. Kruger and Amber Riley (Mount Pleasant, IA) finished with 14 and 13 digs, respectively.

        The Tigers close out the regular season with a nonconference match at Quincy University Nov. 3. IWC then turns it attention to the MCC Tournament where it earned the No. 1 seed. IWC, two-time defending tournament champions, will host William Penn University in a quarterfinal match at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Ruble Arena.

        “This is a very determined group wanting to go back to (the NAIA National Tournament in) California,” said Dickens. “But we’ve got to set our sights on the conference tournament first, one match at a time.”          

        For more information regarding the IWC volleyball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Kerry Kahl (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; kkahl@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's web page at www.iwc.edu.