Point Lookout, M.O. – #1 Columbia International University, #2 Grace College, #3 Jessup University, and #5 Bethel University all clinched spots in the semifinals in the 2024 DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship on Thursday, December 5.
 
#4 Mid-America Christian University 3, #8 Carolina University 1
 
Fourth-seeded Mid-America Christian University opened day two with a hard fought 3-1 win over #8 Carolina University.
 

• MACU rolled in set one, picking up three service aces from Sydney Martin, as the Evangels went ahead 10-2. Errors plagued Carolina for most of the opening set. And another ace, this time from Alica Obusekova, gave MACU set one 25-12.
• Set two was tightly contested, as neither team could get much of an advantage, until kills by Karli Totel and Hayley Stull put Carolina on top 19-15. The Bruins would stay on top the rest of the set and kills by Kammi Naude and Sarah Elizabeth Samuels tied the match 1-1, with set two going for Carolina 25-19.
• Set three saw the Bruins and the Evangels trade the lead, before a kill from Natalia Rodriguez and four straight attack errors and a block from Rodriguez and Obueskova put MACU ahead 20-14. Kills from Annabeth Fehrle and Maidson Lee clinched the set for Mid-America Christian, and the Evangels won the set 25-17 to go up 2-1.
• MACU opened set four with a pair of service aces from Martin, and a pair of errors by the Bruins put Mid-America Christian on top 17-10. The Evangels continued to roll, as Carolina hit -.030 in the fourth set with eight attack errors, and MACU won 25-12 to clinch the 3-1 win.
• Martin picked up six service aces in the win. Obusekova tallied 16 kills and 12 digs, while Casady McKinney had 13 digs and 18 assists. Despite the loss, Kamra King had 16 assists and 10 digs for Carolina.

 
#3 Jessup University 3, #7 College of the Ozarks 1
 
After a battle in the third set, #3 Jessup University held off a pesky #7 College of the Ozarks to move to 2-0 in pool play with a 3-1 victory.
 

• The two squads traded 4-0 runs to open set one, but three straight kills from Madalyn Miller and a pair of errors by College of the Ozarks put Jessup ahead 16-10. A kill from Christa Duffel got the Bobcats down 21-19, but Madalyn Miller recorded two more kills and a block by Paulina Harris clinched set one for the Warriors 25-19.
• Jessup opened set two on a 6-1 run and then lead by as much as 18-8 after kills from Harris and Delaina Hunt. Down 20-13, College of the Ozarks went on a run of their own, as an ace from Anna Howe along with a pair of Warrior errors cut the lead down to 21-18. Back-t-o-back kills from Madalyn Miller kept the Bobcats at bay, and Jessup went up 2-0 with a 25-19 set two victory.
• Neither squad could take control in set three, until a kill by Brooklyn Crawford put College of the Ozarks ahead 18-15. A kill by Bri Linehan put the Bobcats on top 24-20, but a pair of errors and kills from Carolena Bogdanovich and Kenzie Carpenter tied the match at 24. The two squads traded points, but back-to-back errors by the Warriors gave set three to College of the Ozarks, 27-25.
• College of the Ozarks started the fourth set off down 6-2 after a pair of blocks from Harris and Taylor MacCuish. Madalyn Miller continued to pour it on with four straight kills, but a block by Linehan and Bailey Chamberlain and a kill from Abby Chadwell cut the Warrior lead down to 14-12. Madalyn Miller closed out the set with four more kills, and another kill from Harris clinched the set 25-18 and the match 3-1 for Jessup.
• Madalyn Miller finished the contest with 24 kills and four digs. Harris finished with seven kills, two solo blocks, and four block assists. Linehan recorded 10 kills and two block assists for the Bobcats, while Crawford had eight kills, one solo block, and three block assists.

#1 Columbia International University 3, #4 Mid-America Christian University 0
 
The top-seeded Columbia International University Rams were the first team to punch their ticket to the semifinals, rolling to a 3-0 victory over #4 Mid-America Christian University to finish undefeated in pool play.
 

• Columbia International hit a blistering .353 in the first set, going up 17-8 after kills from Katie Camp and Hadassah Davis. The set ended with three straight points for the Rams, thanks to a block from Kira Rymer Attaway and Lydia Gustafson and kills by Davis and Rymer Attaway, as CIU picked up set one with a 25-14 win. 
• MACU kept set two close early, but kills from Rymer Attaway and Davis, along with a block by Camp and Gabriela Vega, put CIU on top 16-9. A kill from Hannah Weiss put the Rams ahead 21-14 but kills from Natalia Rodriguez and Lauryn Walters got the Evangels within five. A service error by MACU ended the set, and CIU went up 2-0 with a 25-19 victory.
• A pair of aces from Vega put CIU up early in set three, and four straight kills by Rymer Attaway had the Rams ahead 17-6. Columbia International closed the match on a 5-0 run, thanks to kills from Weiss, Gustafson and Rymer Attaway, along with a service ace from Melissa Campos Soto.
• Rymer Attaway tallied 13 kills on 31 attacks and had no errors, hitting an impressive .419 for the contest. She also added two digs and a pair of block assists. Vega had two solo blocks and one block assist.

 
#3 Jessup University 3, #2 Grace College 0
 
In their first appearance in the NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship, #3 Jessup University finished pool play undefeated, knocking off defending national champion #2 Grace College 3-0.
 

• The opening stanza was a back-and-forth battle, but a block from Taylor MacCuish and Carolena Bogdanovich along with a kill by Elaina Sheridan put Jessup ahead 13-10. Grace College answered with a small run and took an 18-17 lead off a kill by Anna Elkin. The Lancers led 21-19, before back-to-back kills from MacCuish put Jessup ahead 23-22. An attack error and a service error by Grace helped Jessup close out the set 25-23 to take the 1-0 advantage.
• Jessup jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead in set two, thanks to kills from Sheridan, MacCuish and Madalyn Miller. A pair of kills from Bogdanovich and a service ace from Neena Dimas helped the Warriors pull away, and a kill from Sheridan closed out the set with a 25-19 win for Jessup.
• It was Grace College taking the early lead in set three, as kills from Sahara Bee and Anna Ballengee put the Lancers ahead 8-3. Jessup clawed their way back, and kills from Julia Olson, MacCuish, Paulina Harris and back-to-back service aces from Dimas saw the Warriors leapfrog to an 18-14 lead. Grace College looked to climb back into striking distance, but a kill from MacCuish and kills from Miller and Sheridan stomped out the comeback attempt, and Jessup took the sweep with a 25-22 win.
• Miller picked up 13 kills, while Sheridan added 10 kills and nine digs. MacCuish finished with seven kills and three block assists. Dimas tallied 20 digs, and Alexia Kepa added 14 digs of her own. Despite the loss, Alisha Voss recorded her 1,000^th career kill, finishing the match with 14 total kills and four block assists.
• Grace College advances to the semifinals after finishing second in Pool B with a 2-1 record.

 
#5 Bethel University 3, #8 Carolina University 0 
 
Needing a win to advance, #5 Bethel University downed #8 Carolina University 3-0 to clinch the final spot in the semifinals.
 

• Bethel came out guns blazing, as kills from Michaela Whitaker, Gracen Norris and a service ace from Lily Vester put the Pilots ahead 11-4. A block from Taylor Delp and Maddy Payne put Bethel up as much as 21-8, put a trio of kills from Sion Murrain got the Bruins within eight. A kill from Ainsley Tacke shut down the Carolina rally, and Bethel took set one 25-18.
• A pair of attack errors and a block from Karli Totel and Kammi Naude put Carolina ahead 10-9 in set two, but two kills from Payne and an ace by Paige Hickey helped the Pilots take a 16-11 lead. Norris and Breyana Bosket ended the set with a pair of kills, and Bethel rolled in set three 25-15.
• Payne recorded 11 kills, five digs, and had five block assists in the win for Bethel. Franz tallied nine digs and an ace.
• Bethel University finished second in Pool A to advance to the semifinals.

 
#7 College of the Ozarks 3, #6 Lancaster Bible College 0
 
Closing out pool play at the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship, #7 College of the Ozarks knocked off #6 Lancaster Bible College 3-0 in their final home match of the season.
 

• College of the Ozarks opened the match in style, jumping out to a 13-5 lead, thanks to a block from Emme McIntire and Bailey Chamberlain, and then a kill via Chamberlain. A pair of kills from Madison Reap got Lancaster Bible College within five but kills from Christa Duffel and Chamberlain gave the Bobcats a 25-18 victory in set one.
• Set two was tightly contested early, but a block from Bri Linehan and an ace from Jocee Pettyjohn put College of the Ozarks on top 21-10. A kill from Brooklyn Crawford and a pair of Charger errors helped C of O roll to a 25-12 victory in set two and put the Bobcats on top 2-0.
• The Bobcats pulled away in set three, as kills from Crawford and McIntire put C of O on top 13-7. Crawford and Linehan picked up two more kills, and a block from Crawford punctuated the sweep, as College of the Ozarks knocked off Lancaster Bible College 25-13 in the final set.
• Both Linehan and Crawford picked up 12 kills, with Crawford hitting an impressive .667 while adding two solo blocks and an ace. Mica Chadwell recorded 30 digs, and will close her career as the program leader in career digs at College of the Ozarks.

 
 
Semifinal action begins on Friday, December 6 at 3:00 PM CT, with #2 Grace College facing #1 Columbia International University, followed by #3 Jessup University vs #5 Bethel University at 6:00 PM CT. Live video, stats, and results 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.