Sioux City, Iowa - For the third time in program history, the Marian volleyball team has advanced out of NAIA Tournament Pool Play and earned the first ticket into the NAIA Quarterfinals, as the Knights ended Southwest Assemblies of God's undefeated season with a 3-1 win. Marian will enter the quarterfinals with a 26-6 overall record, and in the win Skyler Van Note recorded her 2000th career kill, extending her program record.
Marian was aggressive throughout the first set, starting strong on offense as they were the first to reach 10 points in the set. SAGU would overtake Marian using a 4-0 run, but the Knights used a run of their own as a block from Averi Lanman and Jai-Lyn Norwood pushed them in front 16-15. The Knights stayed in control, and forced a timeout following a Jaymison Summers kill. Two Skyler Van Note kills played a role in Marian's closing 6-0 run, as they rolled to a 25-19 victory.
In the second set Madison Brooks and Lanman scored early kills that allowed their team to capture a 9-8 lead, but an error and two kills from the Lions' Ava Myers allowed SAGU to take the lead. Alison Dreves landed a service ace to help the Knights get to a level score, however it was not enough as SAGU stayed in front. The Lions forced Marian to use a timeout as they built their lead to four, and after the break SAGU built their lead to six. Van Note and Lanman made things interesting in the game as they rallied back within three, but were unable to complete the comeback as they fell 25-21.
Marian rebounded from the defeat in the second set and started the third set with a fury, with Gianna Feld landing three service aces in an opening 6-0 run. SAGU chipped away and trimmed the lead to two points, but Marian used another run paced by a Sydney Henke kill to force a timeout. Leading 15-11, Marian continued the run with Van Note scoring three straight points, as a pair of blocks drove the margin back to seven. Sydney Schaffer landed a service ace to move the lead to eight, and after the final timeout was called by the Lions, Marian closed on a 4-2 spree to claim a 25-15 victory.
With a 2-1 lead in their bag, Marian jumped out to a 10-8 lead in the fourth set, with Brooks, Lanman, and Norwood combining to grow a lead. Van Note slammed home a kill to force a timeout by the Lions, and after the break Marian scored two out of three points to push ahead 15-10. A 4-0 run that featured two Norwood kills pushed the score to 19-12, forcing the final timeout for SAGU. Van Note etched her name in the history with her 2000th career kill which gave Marian a 22-16 lead, and after her milestone point, the senior duo scored back-to-back kills with Norwood ending the match in a 25-18 fourth set victory.
Marian finished the match hitting .230 as they became the first team to qualify for the NAIA Quarterfinals, and had 53 kills in the win. Van Note led Marian on the night with a 16-kill, 15-dig double-double, leading the Knights in both stats. Van Note also had three block assists, and in the win became the first player in program history to record 2000 career kills, accomplishing the feat in the fourth set. Norwood had 12 kills and Brooks had 11 to go with five block assists. Katie Hardegree posted a 20-assist, 11-dig double-double, and Ainsley Neighbors had 20 assists in the win. Schaffer had 10 digs in the win, and Lanman led all players with 11 block assists.
Marian will advance into the NAIA Quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons, and will play either Cornerstone or Eastern Oregon on Saturday. The NAIA Quarterfinal match will begin at 12 p.m. EST.
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