Columbia, Mo. – The eighth ranked Columbia College volleyball team was back on the court today when they took on the University of St. Francis (Ind.) and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) University in the 2017 Hampton Inn Volleyball Classic. The Cougars, who came into this game with a 2-1 record on the season, were able to defeat Saint Francis in three straight sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-21) and then went on to sweep Olivet Nazarene in three straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-16) to improve to 4-1 on the season.

In the Cougars first set against Saint Francis, Columbia College came out and dominated from the opening serve. They were able to rally off five straight points to start the game and continued to play well as the set progressed. They held an 18-11 lead late in the game and closed out Saint Francis down the stretch to solidify a 25-18 set victory.

The Cougars continued to play well in the second set of the match and jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. Saint Francis did their best to keep up with Columbia and were able to cut the Cougars lead to four midway through the set. However, a 9-6 run from the Cougars to close out the game propelled Columbia to a 25-15 set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, the Cougars came out and controlled the game early. They took a 4-1 lead to start the set and led 13-8 midway through the game. Despite being down, Saint Francis battled the Cougars for every point down the stretch and were able to go on a 6-0 run to take a 14-13 lead in the game. However, the Cougars were able to pick up the next two points to regain the lead and never looked back as they defeated Saint Francis by a final score of 25-21 to complete the three game sweep.

Columbia College was led by Caroline Clifford and Johanna Mueller who each finished with a match high nine kills. In addition, Yamilet Velazquez tallied a match high 29 assists and Gabriela Walton added 10 digs to round out the top performers for Columbia.

In the second match against Olivet Nazarene, both sides exchanged points to start the first set. With the score tied at eight, the Cougars were finally able to break away from the Tigers as they scored the next four straight points to take a 12-8 lead in the set. Olivet Nazarene did their best to get back into the game but the Cougars seemed to always be one step ahead as they took the first set by a final score of 25-20 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Olivet Nazarene came out in the second set and took an early 4-1 lead in the game. The Cougars had a tough time getting their attack going at the start of the set but were able to settle in as the game progressed and tied the Tigers at 11. The score remained close for the next few points until the Cougars were able to use a 5-1 run to take a four point lead late in the set. The Tigers were able to make a late run at the Cougars but Columbia College closed out the set and took a 2-0 lead in the match after winning the game 25-22.

The third set of the match started similar to the first as both sides exchanged points early in the game. With the score tied at 11, the Cougars were able to gain some momentum as they went on a 6-2 run to take a commanding lead in the game. Columbia continued to play well down the final stretch of the contest and were able to solidify the 25-16 victory to complete their second sweep of the day.

The Cougars were led by Yamilet Velazquez who finished with a match high 34 assists. To go along with Velazquez's impressive performance, Caroline Clifford added a match high 10 kills and Gabriela Walton tallied a match high 14 digs to lead Columbia.

The Cougars are back in action tomorrow, September 2^nd when they continue play in the 2017 Hampton Inn Volleyball Classic. Columbia College will take on Huntington (Ind.) University at 11 a.m. followed by a 3 p.m. start against the sixth ranked Viterbo (Wis.) University V-Hawks. Both matches will be played in the Southwell Athletic Complex.