#18 VB vs. #14 College of Idaho | W 3-0 |
Stats |
Highlights
(courtesy of Mike Stafford - College of Idaho) SIOUX CITY, Iowa – MidAmerica Nazarene recorded 11 total blocks and forced 24 College of Idaho hitting errors, as the Pioneers eliminated the Lady Yotes from the NAIA Volleyball National Championships with a 26-24, 25-19, 25-23 victory, inside the Tyson Events Center.
The Pioneers (29-4) rallied for the Set 1 victory, then held on in the next two sets after building large leads to win their 18th-straight match and move on to the national quarterfinals tonight against Biola. The Lady Yotes (24-8) saw their season end in the first-round of the championship bracket for the third time in four seasons and finish in a tie for ninth nationally.
Set 1 was tight, featuring 17 ties and 10 separate lead changes – with the Yotes building a 19-17 lead on a combo-block from Kylee Nawahine and Liz Myers. MNU would respond, scoring five of the next six points, capped by a
Taryn Salum ace, to lead 22-20. A Sofia Anxo kill got the Yotes even at 23-23, with Anxo following with an ace to give The C of I set point, but a
Linjun Ji kill and back to back Coyote hitting errors gave the set to MNU.
MNU used a big block in Set 2 to their advantage, as
Luka Gomes combined on four blocks in a 15-4 run to open the frame, extending the margin to 20-7 on a
Molly Brewster kill. Jessica Peacock had two kills and a block in a seven-point run by the Yotes to close the gap to 23-18, but a Gomes kill ended the set.
A kill by Salum started a three-point surge for the Pioneers in Set 3, giving MNU a 13-9 lead, extending the margin to 21-16 on a C of I hitting error. The Yotes would make one last run, cutting the gap to 24-23 on a Gomez hitting error, but after a lengthy rally, Ji put a ball to the floor to end the match.
Ji led MNU with 11 kills and 12 digs, with Gomez adding nine kills and a match-high seven blocks.
Molly Brewster had seven kills and a team-high 20 digs, with Salum recording 30 assists and four blocks. Defense was the story for the Pioneers, recording a 67-53 edge in digs to go along with their double-digit blocks.
The Pioneers are 29-4 and play #4 Biola tonight at 5:45. The winner advances to the semis.
#18 VB vs. #4 Biola | L 1-3 |
Stats
The Pioneers lost their first match in over 2 months in a 4-set defeat at the hands of #4 Biola on Friday. The 18-match winning streak is an MNU record.
Biola came out strong in the first set, and the Pioneers fell 16-25. Some serving adjustments in the second set led to a turnaround which saw MNU return the blowout, this time winning 25-16. In the third set, Biola jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Pioneers fought back to get within one point at 16-17. MNU then fought off 2 set points to get within 1 again, but Biola finished it off with a 25-23 victory. The fourth set was all Biola and MNU couldn't claw back into it. MNU fell 20-25 and lost the match 1-3.
Linjun Ji had 11 kills and 12 digs.
Megan Hayes had 11 kills.
Molly Brewster had 7 kills and 13 digs.
Becca Valdez (14) and
Rosan Rivera (13) recorded double-digit digs. And
Taryn Salum had 37 assists and 6 digs.
The Pioneers end the season at 29-5 with a 5th place finish at Nationals. The best season in program history.
