Point Lookout, M.O. – Both #2 Grace College and #3 Jessup University clinched spots in the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship match, as Grace defeated #1 Columbia International University 3-2, while Jessup knocked off #5 Bethel University 3-0 in the semifinals on Friday, December 6.
 
 
#2 Grace College 3, #1 Columbia International University 2
 
Second-seeded Grace College earned a spot in the championship match for the second year in a row, as the Lancers won a five-set thriller over top-seeded Columbia International University 3-2.
 

• Columbia International opened set one on a 6-2 run thanks to blocks from Lydia Gustafson and Kira Rymer Attaway, and a kill from Rymer Attaway. Grace answered with a run of their own, and a block from Jadyn Ross and Livia Tate along with a kill by Alisha Voss put the Lancers ahead 14-12. CIU got as close as 21-18 but kills from Voss and Sahara Bee ended the set 25-19 in favor of the Lancers.
• Set two saw the Rams take a 16-5 lead, thanks to kills from Rymer Attaway, Hadassah Davis, and Lexabel Rojas. Down 24-14, Grace sparked a mini run, but an error by the Lancers clinched set two for CIU 25-14 and tied the contest 1-1.
• In set three, it was Grace jumping out to the early lead, as kills from Leah Henderson, Anna Ballengee, and a block from Tate and Henderson put the Lancers on top 14-6. Kills from Voss and Ross kept the Rams at bay, and a kill by Bee clinched set three 25-16 in favor of Grace, and the Lancers took a 2-1 advantage into the fourth set. 
• Both squads battled in the fourth set, as the two teams traded runs early. Kills from Ross and Tate put Grace College ahead 21-17, but kills by Gabriela Vega and Davis sparked the Rams, and CIU tied it 21-21. A pair of kills from Voss and Ross put the Lancers ahead 23-21 but kills from Rymer Attaway and Davis gave Columbia International the 24-23 lead. A service ace from Kamelia De Jesus ended the set, as the Rams forced set five with a 25-23 win.
• Grace took the lead in set five, before a kill from Katie Camp put the Rams up 11-10. The two teams then traded points, before a kill from Voss, a block from Ballengee, and a kill by Bee gave match point to the Lancers. A kill from Voss off an assist from Morgan Syoen clinched the contest for Grace, as the Lancers won set five 15-12 and claimed a spot in the national championship match with a 3-2 win.
• Both Bee and Voss tallied 18 kills for Grace, with Voss hitting an astounding .405 and adding a pair of digs and a block assist. Bee hit and even better .548 on the match, picking up four digs and two block assists. Liz Schmidt recorded 25 digs for the Lancers, while Tate tallied eight block assists in the contest. Syoen tallied 30 assists for Grace. 

 
#3 Jessup University 3, #5 Bethel University 0
 
In their first ever semifinals appearance, #3 Jessup University caught fire early and never looked back, rolling to a 3-0 victory over #5 Bethel University to seal an appearance in the national championship match. 
 

• Jessup and Bethel traded points early in set one, before kills from Madalyn Miller and an ace from Paulina Harris put the Warriors on top 13-6 in the opening stanza. The Pilots battled back with a block from Breyana Bosket and Gracen Norris and a Norris kill to cut the lead down to 18-15, and a block from Michaela Whitaker and Maddy Payne along with a Whitaker kill made it just a 23-21 advantage for Jessup. A kill from Eliana Sheridan quelched the Bethel rally, and Jessup took set one 25-22.
• Set two was all Jessup from the jump, as Taylor MacCuish recorded three straight kills, and a block from Carolena Bogdanovich and Jordyn MacCuish put Jessup on top 19-7. Bogdanovich, Taylor MacCuish, and Sheridan continued to roll, as the Warriors hit .393 in set two, rolling to a 25-11 win and a 2-0 advantage.
• Jessup topped their set two performance in set three, hitting .407, as the quartet of Bogdanovich, Taylor MacCuish, Harris, and Sheridan had the Warriors on top 15-6. Kenzie Carpenter added a kill and a service ace, and a service error by Bethel ended the set 25-12 in favor of Jessup, as the Warriors completed the 3-0 sweep.
• Madalyn Miller led the Warriors with 12 kills, while Sheridan tallied nine kills and eight digs. Bogdanovich picked up seven kills, one solo block, and four block assists in the win.

 
The 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship match between #2 Grace College and #3 Jessup University will begin at 12:00 PM CT from Keeter Gym on the campus of College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, M.O. Links to live stats, video, and all results from the 2024 NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship 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.