The Central (Iowa) Dutch liked winning the Division III Women's Volleyball Championship in 1998 and 1999 so much that they did it again in 2000.

Even with the loss of last year's player of the year, Abbie Brown, the Dutch were able to reload instead of rebuild. Central defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater, 15-10, 18-16, 15-3, December 2 for its third consecutive NCAA title.

Before a sellout crowd of 2,200 at Central's home court, both teams battled for the upper hand through the first two games. In the second game, Wisconsin-Whitewater held leads of 4-0 and 13-9, and served for game point five times.

With the Warhawks up, 16-15, Central's Kim Hughes served three straight points for the victory. The 18-16 win turned the tide permanently in Central's favor.

Despite Wisconsin-Whitewater's defensive tandem of Melinda Erickson and Angie Wildish, who had 18 and 15 digs, respectively, the Warhawks had no answer to Central's attack. Candace Wilson, the AVCA Division III Player of the Year, led the way for the Dutch with 22 kills for a .370 hitting clip.

Setter Angie Nielsen coordinated the Dutch offense with 41 assists. Wisconsin-Whitewater's Kristy Dettman had 40 assists in the loss.

To get to the championship match, Central downed Washington (Missouri), 15-9, 15-6, 13-15, 16-14. In the other semifinal, the Warhawks gave Juniata an early exit with a 15-10, 15-13, 15-8 victory.

The third-place match saw Washington outlast Juniata, 13-15, 15-13, 15-13, 10-15, 15-12.

Both Central and Wisconsin-Whitewater closed the year with a 40-2 record. For the Warhawks, it was their highest tournament finish.

Dutch coach Megan Clayburg said the title is special because it came in front of the home crowd.

"I just love our fans," she said. "They were unbelievable tonight. And they do such a great job of cheering for our team without being negative toward our opponents. They were a tremendous factor in our comeback in game two. It was a great night for Central College."

Heading up the all-tournament team were Wilson and Nielsen for Central, Erickson and Vanessa Walby for Wisconsin-Whitewater, Katie Gielow for Washington and Brandy Workinger of Juniata.

Quarterfinals

Wis.-Whitewater def. Puget Sound, 16-14, 15-11, 13-15, 9-15, 15-13; Juniata def. Cortland St., 15-5, 15-10, 14-16, 15-8; Washington (Mo.) def. Wellesley, 15-9, 16-14, 15-10; Central (Iowa) def. Mt. St. Joseph, 15-5, 15-5, 15-6.

Semifinals

Wis.-Whitewater def. Juniata, 15-10, 15-13, 15-8; Central (Iowa) def. Washington (Mo.), 15-9, 15-6, 13-15, 16-14.

Washington (Mo.) def. Juniata, 13-15, 15-13, 15-13, 10-15, 15-12.

Championship