Box Score
Sioux City, Iowa – Tonight the ninth ranked Columbia College volleyball team was back in action when they traveled to Sioux City, Iowa, to compete in the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships. The Cougars, who are competing in Pool H, were swept by Morningside (Iowa) College in three straight sets (23-25 20-25, 16-25) to fall to 33-7 on the season and 0-1 in pool play.
The Mustangs came out in the first set of the match and took an early 5-2 lead over Columbia. The Cougars battled back and were able to cut the lead to one but another run from Morningside propelled them to a 12-7 lead. Columbia College used a 7-2 run to tie the game at 14 but the Mustangs quickly pushed their lead back out to four and held a 24-20 lead late in the set. The Cougars did all they could to get back into the game but ultimately the Mustangs were able to hold them off down the stretch to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-23 victory.
Columbia College came out in the second set and were able to jump out to an early 7-2 lead before Morningside was forced to call timeout. Despite being down, the Mustangs never let the Cougars get too far ahead and were able to tie the game at 15 midway through the set. Both sides exchanged the next few points but an 8-3 run from Morningside to end the game lifted them to a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs were able to carry over their momentum from the second game into the third game and jumped out to an early 9-2 lead. The Cougars continued to struggle as the set progressed and found themselves trailing 18-8 late in the game. Columbia College did their best to cut into the Mustangs lead but were unable to catch up as they dropped the third set by a final score of 25-16.
The Cougars were led by Caroline Clifford who finished with a team high 10 kills. In addition to Clifford, Yamilet Velazquez finished with a team high 26 assists and Gabriela Walton racked up a team high 10 digs to round out the top performers for Columbia.
The Cougars are back in action tomorrow, November 29th when they continue play in Pool H of the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships. Columbia College will take on Tabor (Kan.) College at 8 p.m.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all matches live (excluding the finals to be broadcast via ESPN3 at the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
To find out more information about the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, click here.
