Columbia, Mo. – Tonight the seventh ranked Columbia College women's volleyball team took on Stephens (Mo.) College in an AMC Quarterfinal match. The Cougars were able to sweep the Stars in three straight sets (25-19, 25-10, 25-12) and will advance to the AMC Semifinals in Parkville, Missouri, this weekend.
Prior to the match, the American Midwest Conference announced the Academic All-Conference awards. To be eligible for the Academic All-Conference honors, student-athletes must be in their second semester at their AMC institution and have at least a 3.0 GPA. For their efforts in the classroom, Allison Garcia, Peiyi Liu, Johanna Mueller, Hanna Nicholson, and Gabriela Walton were all recognized. In addition, Caroline Clifford was also recognized as a member of the AMC Champions of Character team.
In the first set, the Cougars were tied with the Stars 5-5 early, before they found their groove and went on an 8-4 run to take a 13-9 lead midway through. Stephens would cut Columbia's lead to 5 late in the game, but the Cougars were able to secure the final points to win the first set by a score of 25-19 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Cougars jumped to a quick 9-1 lead in the second set. Columbia remained in control of the game as they led 20-7 late in the set. The Cougars cruised to a 25-10 victory as they led 2-0 heading into the third set.
Once again the Cougars took the early lead to start the third set. The Stars would battle back early as they cut the score 7-5. Columbia would use a 6-1 run to lead 13-6 midway through the game. The Stars did their best to fight back, but the Cougars would win the final set 25-12 to win the match in three.
Columbia was led by Jordan Wolfe and Pamela Jaime who each recorded eight kills. In addition, Gabriela Walton had 8 digs, while Yamilet Velazquez tallied 28 assists.
The Cougars are back in action Friday, November 10th when they travel to Parkville, Missouri to take on the winner of the William Woods (Mo.) University vs Lyon (Ark.) College quarterfinal match in the AMC Semifinals. The match is set to start at 4:00 p.m.
