Box Score Sioux City, Iowa - The 8^th-ranked Columbia Volleyball team dropped to 0-2 in pool play with a 0-3 (15-25, 18-25, 13-25) loss to No. 21 Vanguard University on Wednesday afternoon at the NAIA Volleyball National Championships, presented by J&L Enterprises. The Cougars fall to 33-7 overall on the year with the loss while the Lions improve to 24-12 overall and 1-1 in pool E play.

The Lions used a 6-0 run to begin the first set and never looked back on their way to a dominating 25-15 first set win. Columbia kept things close to start the second set as the score was tied at 5. From there, Vanguard used a 6-1 run to gain some separation and would eventually capture the 25-18 victory for a 2-0 advantage in the match. The Lions trailed for the first time of the match in the third set as Columbia took the first point, but the Cougar's lead would be short lived as they continued to struggle against Vanguard's front line. The Lions stretched their lead out to double digits midway through the final set, for a commanding 18-10 lead and eventually put the game and match away with a 25-13 victory.
 
Brooke Simpson finished with 10 kills and six digs while Sarah Schwentker chipped in seven kills, six digs, and a team high 10 assists.  

Columbia will wrap up pool play tomorrow afternoon against No. 5 ranked Texas at Brownsville. The Ocelots (31-4) are 2-0 in pool play following a 3-0 win over Southern Oregon in Wednesday's earlier match and have clinched a spot in the next round of the tournament, which is set to begin on Friday. The Ocelots defeated
Columbia 1-3 (18-25, 25-18, 17-25, 17-25) during the regular season back on September 13^th. Match time is scheduled for 3:15 pm at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.