Point Lookout, M.O. – Action opened at the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Championship on Wednesday, December 4, with #1 Columbia International University and #2 Grace College leading the way as both squads went 2-0 to open pool play.
 
#5 Bethel University 3, #4 Mid-America Christian University 0 
 
Fifth-seeded Bethel University opened action at the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 victory over #4 Mid-America Christian University.
 

• Both teams traded points in the first set, before a pair of kills from Ainsley Tacke put Bethel ahead 18-13. MACU would get as close as 22-20, but a pair of Evangel errors and a kill from Tacke put Bethel ahead 1-0.
• The Pilots went ahead 13-11 in set two, and a kill from Maddy Payne followed by back-to-back aces from Lily Cester swelled the Bethel advantage to 17-11. BU continued to roll, and our straight kills from Tacke and Payne gave the Pilots set two 25-15.
• Set three was tightly contested between the two foes, but a kill from Taylor Delp and an ace from Reanna Brown helped Bethel close out the match 3-0 with a 25-20 set three win.
• Payne led the Pilots with 14 kills.

 
#3 Jessup University 3, #6 Lancaster Bible College 0
 
NCCAA newcomer #3 Jessup University picked up their first-ever win at the DI Women’s Volleyball Championship, rolling over #6 Lancaster Bible College 3-0.
 

• Jessup opened the contest on a 6-0 run and led as much as 20-8 in the opening set. Kills from Taylor MacCuish and Carolena Bogdanovich clinched the 25-12 set one win for the Warriors.
• Lancaster Bible was able to stay within striking distance in set two early, but an ace from Taylor Diller and a trio of Charger errors put Jessup ahead 18-7. A pair of kills from Megan Conway and Delaina Hunt clinched the set 25-10 for Jessup.
• After an early 5-1 run by the Warriors in set three, kills from Lea Sareyka and Jessica Fletcher put LBC down just 11-10. An ace from Khaycee Jamias-Cadenas started a short Jessup run, while a pair of aces from Conway and a kill from Julia Olson clinched the 3-0 win for Jessup.
• Conway finished the match with five kills, one solo block and three block assists. 

 
#1 Columbia International University 3, #8 Carolina University 1
 
Eight seed Carolina University gave top-seeded Columbia International a scare, but the Rams were able to hold off the Bruins for a 3-1 victory. 
 

• Columbia International opened the contest on a 7-2 run, and went ahead 19-10 in the first stanza thanks to kills from Kira Rymer Attaway and Hadassah Davis. Carolina cut the lead down to eight but kills from Hannah Weiss and Lydia Gustafson ended the set with the Rams taking set one 25-17. 
• Both South Regional rivals traded points in the second set, with the largest lead being an 18-16 advantage for CIU after a kill from Weiss. After the Rams fell behind 22-21, three straight kills from Davis, Katie Camp, and Lexabel Rojas put CIU ahead 24-22. Davis recorded another kill to end the set in favor of the Rams, 25-23
• Carolina jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in set three before CIU tied the contest at 6-6. Three kills from Sarah Elizabeth Samuels put the Bruins ahead 20-14, but Columbia International tied the set at 24, before a pair of errors gave the third set to Carolina, 26-24.
• Columbia International fell behind 11-6 in set four, but four errors by the Bruins and a kill from Weiss put the Rams on top 14-12. Kills from Davis, Camp and Gustafson continued to put space between CIU and Carolina, and the Rams clinched the match with a 25-15 win in set four. 
• Kelcey Mangum recorded 27 digs for CIU, while Weiss had 13 kills and Rymer Attaway tallied 14 kills in the match. Despite the loss, Britney Comolli had nine kills and 10 digs for Carolina. 

 
#2 Grace College 3, #7 College of the Ozarks 1
 
After dropping the first set, #2 Grace College rattled off three straight set wins to knock off #7 College of the Ozarks 3-1. 
 

• After Grace College went ahead 19-14, a pair of kills from Christa Duffel and a trio of Lancer attack errors put College of the Ozarks ahead 24-22. Duffel picked up another kill to win the set 25-23 and give the Bobcats a 1-0 advantage. 
• Grace College jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead in set two, thanks to kills from Anna Ballengee and Sahara Bee. Kills from Bri Linehan and an ace from Mica Chadwell cut the lead down to just 19-17 for the Lancers. Three straight errors by the Bobcats helped Grace College pull away, and a kill from Jadyn Ross clinched the set 25-21 and tied the match at one set apiece.
• Both teams traded points, but three errors by the Bobcats and kills from Ross and Alisha Voss gave Grace College the 25-22 set three win.
• College of the Ozarks again dug themselves out of an early deficit, tying the match 11-11 in set four, but a pair of kills from Ballengee and Anna Elkin helped Grace College hold off the Bobcats, and the Lancers took set four 25-21. 
• Liz Schmidt, Morgan Syoen, and McKenzie Stakely all finished with double digit digs for Grace, with 13 digs for Schmidt, 12 for Stakely, and 11 for Syoen. Ross recorded 15 kills and six digs, along with two block assists in the contest for the Lancers. Despite the loss, Mica Chadwell picked up 33 digs, while Christa Duffel tallied 13 kills for College of the Ozarks.

 
#1 Columbia International University 3, #5 Bethel University 0
 
Top-ranked Columbia International University held off a pesky #5 Bethel University to move to 2-0 In pool play, sweeping the Pilots 3-0.
 

• The two squads traded points throughout the opening frame but kills from Lydia Gustafson and Kira Rymer Attaway put CIU ahead 23-20. A kill from Taylor Delp and an error by the Rams got Bethel within two, but a kill by Hadassah Davis ended the rally, and Columbia International won set one 25-22.
• Set two was like set one, with both teams trading points and the match ended up tied 18-18. Bethel took a 21-20 lead, but a block from Rymer Attaway and Gustafson put CIU ahead 24-21. A Michaela Whitaker kill got the Pilots within one, but once again, it was Rymer Attaway with a big kill to clinch the set for CIU, 25-23.
• The third set saw the two squads trade points early, but kills from Davis, Katie Camp, and an ace by Bellamy Fennell put CIU on top 17-13. Kills from Rymer Attaway and a block by Weiss continued to widen the camp between the Rams and the Pilots, and an error from Bethel helped Columbia International clinch the sweep with a 25-20 win in the third set. 
• Gustafson recorded nine kills, one solo block, and four block assists for CIU. Rymer Attaway also had nine kills, along with one dig and two block assists.

 
#2 Grace College 3, #6 Lancaster Bible College 0
 
Playing their second game of the day, #2 Grace College took an early lead and never looked back, rolling over #6 Lancaster Bible College 3-0 in the final game of the day.
 

• The two squads battled early in the opening set but kills from Jadyn Ross and Livia Tate helped Grace College pull ahead 12-7. Lancaster Bible would charge back after kills from Lea Sareyeka and Eden Belford, but Ross and Alisha Voss would record back-to-back kills to put the Lancers on top 17-13. The Chargers stayed within striking distance, until a Voss kill gave Grace the 25-22 set one win.
• The Lancers came out hot in set two, opening the frame on an 8-0 run, thanks to five straight kills by Anna Elkin and an ace from McKenzie Stakely. LBC never got closer than within five points in the set, and a kill from Brea Harris clinched the 25-18 win in the second set. 
• Grace continued to roll in set three, going ahead 21-13 after kills from Callie Jo Celichowski and Sahara Bee. A trio of errors got the Chargers within five, but a Riley Owens kill and an error by Lancaster Bible clinched the set 25-18 and the match 3-0 for the Lancers.
• Voss finished the match with nine kills and one block assist. Liz Schmidt tallied 18 digs, while Stakely picked up 14 digs. Leah Helman tallied 15 digs for Lancaster Bible.

 
 
Pool Play at the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship concludes on Thursday, December 5. Action begins at 9:00 AM CT. Full results and links to live stats and video for all games can be found here.
 
 
About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with two national invitationals for 92 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.