Box Score Springfield, Ill. - The Columbia volleyball team defeated conference foe Benedictine University of Springfield (Ill.) 3-0 (25-15, 25-5, 25-14) on the road on Wednesday night. With the win, the Cougars improve to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Midwest Conference (AMC).

Junior Sarah Schwentker led Columbia with nine kills on the night and Jordan Reid added a team-high eight digs. Lydie van Deursen led all players with 35 assists and four service aces, while Trinity Ojo and Carol Berger each had three blocks.

The Cougars checked in at No. 16 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, which was released by the national office on Tuesday. Defending national champion Concordia (Calif.) University claimed the top spot with 22 of 23 first-place votes. Fellow AMC member schools Park University and Missouri Baptist University moved up to 9^th and 13^th respectively.

Columbia will be back in action in Illinois over the weekend, starting with a 3:00 p.m. match against Judson (Ill.) University on Friday, September 27^th. The Cougars will also play Indiana Wesleyan University at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 9:00 a.m. matchup with Robert Morris (Ill.) University and a 1:30 p.m. match against Trinity Christian (Ill.) College on Saturday, September 28^th.