[Women's Volleyball] No. 8 Vikings Defeat No. ...
Sioux City, Iowa – (Bracket | Press Book) No. 8 Grand View (34-7) advances to the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Championships, presented by Delta Hotels, after going 3-0 in pool play. They defeated No. 9 Columbia College (34-8) 3-1 in their final match this evening.
This is the third consecutive year the Vikings have made an appearance in the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Championships. In 2016 the Vikings dropped their match in the round of the 16. Grand View was led by Kelsey Redmond (JR/Iowa Falls, IA) with 17 kills and a .349 hitting percentage along with Erin Wenzel (SR/Clinton, IA) with 11 kills.
"We knew tonight's match would be incredibly tough," said head coach Tina Carter. "Columbia is a historically great team and they are always very physical and experienced. We felt like we had a solid game plan coming in and although we started slow, I think once the girls got into a rhythm they were executing very well. Each match so far has tested us in different ways and we have responded and found ways to win. We are excited for another opportunity to compete tomorrow!"
Set One: Grand View 25 | Columbia College 21
The Vikings came out slow, falling behind 4-0 in the first set but battled back to tie the game up 15-15. Both teams recorded 12 kills and five attacking errors. The largest spread of the set was six by Columbia. Grand View hit a .159 percentage while the Cougars hit a .171 percentage.
Set Two: Grand View 25 | Columbia College 18
Grand View continued the momentum they found in set one into set two but Columbia stepped up and neither team was able to take a lead until the Vikings pulled ahead 9-5. The energy only carried forward from there with the Vikings expanding the spread to nine. GV hit a .189 percentage and held the Cougars to a -.064 percentage.
Set Three: Grand View 23 | Columbia College 25
After hitting a .109 percentage, Grand View was unable to pull out a third set win. Columbia was able to get a 20-16 led on the Vikings after going on a five-point run where they were able to pull out the win. GV recorded 11 kills to the Cougars 13.
Set Four: Grand View 25 | Columbia College 19
The Vikings battled back from falling in set three and were able to defeat the Cougars in an exciting match. Both teams recorded their highest hitting percentage of the match in set four, .444 for the Vikings and .351 for the Cougars. The set was tight until the Vikings went on a four-point run to get a 16-10 led. Grand View was able to keep their energy level high and bring home the victory.
Players of Note…
Ashley Prusha (SO/Amana, IA) led the Vikings at the net with seven blocks and a .556 hitting percentage while Keeley Larkin recorded 17 digs for the Vikings. Trystin Luneckas (SO/West Branch, IA) tallied 40 assists and four blocks. Meagan Miller (JR/Floyd, IA) contributed nine kills and 15 digs.
Up Next…
No. 8 Grand View advances to the Round of 16 as the number one seed from their pool and will face the number two seed, No. 10 Corbin University (26-8) at 9 a.m. Friday, December 1.
How to watch…
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all 63 matches (including 48 pool-play matches) live at 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 – Dec. 1) and an all-championship package is available at $39.95. For more information and the pre-register, click here.