[Women's Volleyball] No. 8 Vikings Defeat (RV) Tabor in First Day of Pool Play at NAIA National ...
Sioux City, Iowa – (Bracket | Press Book) No. 8 Grand View began their appearance at the 38th annual Women's Volleyball National Championship on Tuesday, November 28, at the Tyson Events Center with a 3-1 victory over the (RV) Tabor College Blue Jays.
This is the Vikings sixth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. With the victory, the Vikings extend their winning streak to twelve straight. Grand View was led by Courtney Twit (JR/West Des Moines, IA) who had 14 kills and nine blocks, while Meagan Miller (JR/Floyd, IA) contributed 12 kills. The Vikings led the Blue Jays in overall hitting percentage 0.168 to 0.069. Grand View led in kills and blocks as well, 52 to 47 and 28 to18 respectively.
"We came out strong and established ourselves early but we made enough errors to keep things close throughout sets two and three," said head coach Tina Carter. "I'm so proud of our girls for coming back to get the win in set three and carrying the momentum into set four. Trystin set a great match and Courtney was a force at the net tonight. Tomorrow is another tough match so I hope we can find our consistency and continue to build momentum."
Set One: Grand View 25 | Tabor College 17
The Vikings (32-7) came out strong in the first set taking a quick 10-4 lead on the Blue Jays (28-10) and did not look back from there. The Vikings block stifled the Blue Jay attack, holding the visitors to a -0.026 hitting percentage and allowing only seven kills on the set.
Set Two: Grand View 22 | Tabor College 25
Tabor took a 2-0 lead on the Vikings but it did not last. Throughout the set, the score was tied six times with the largest lead being two for the Vikings and six for Tabor. The Vikings were unable to get ahead, hitting 0.104 percent while Tabor recorded at 0.257 hitting percentage.
Set Three: Grand View 25 | Tabor College 23
The third set was back and forth, only having a few point spread throughout. Neither team could gain larger than a three point spread. Grand View was able to come back from being behind 23-21 to win the match 25-23 and a 2-1 lead on the match. The Vikings hit a 0.176 percent compared to the Blue Jays 0.024 percent.
Set Four: Grand View 25 | Tabor College 23
Grand View took an early 6-2 lead in the fourth set but the Blue Jays were able to tie it up 8-8. The Vikings fought back to take a 17-13 lead and continue to a 25-23 victory. The Vikings held Tabor to a 0.044 hitting percentage during the set.
Players of Note…
Courtney Twit, Maegan Miller, and Erin Wenzel (SR/Clinton, IA) led the Vikings offensively with 14,12 and ten kills respectively. Jordyn Rittman (JR/Ankeny, IA) recorded 19 digs along with Keely Larkin (SO/Johnston, IA) and Trystin Luneckas (SO/West Branch, IA) chipping in 14 apiece. Luneckas also tallied 44 assists.
Up Next…
No. 8 Grand View will take on the host school, Morningside College tomorrow at 6 p.m.
How to Watch:
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all 63 matches (including 48 pool-play matches) live from the 2017 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while a pool play pass is $24.95 (Nov. 28 – Nov. 30) and an all-championship package is available at $39.95. For more information and the pre-register, click here.