Sioux City, Iowa – The third ranked Columbia College volleyball team was back on the court this morning after a quick turnaround as they defeated Aquinas (Mich.) College in a one set playoff late last night to secure their spot in bracket play of the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships presented by Delta Hotels. In the first round of bracket play the Cougars took on Hastings (Neb.) College and swept the Broncos (25-12, 25-8, 25-14) to improve to 40-4 on the season and advance to the Quarterfinals.

The Cougars came out strong, taking a 7-1 lead early. Columbia's dominating start caused an early Bronco timeout. The Cougars were clicking on all levels as they jumped ahead 18-4 in set one. The Broncos broke into double digits, but Columbia still held a comfortable lead at 22-10. The Cougars finished out the first set 25-12.

Columbia again had the dominating start, 9-3, as Hastings called timeout in an effort to regroup. The Cougars were controlling all aspects of the game, while leading 16-4 in set two. Columbia, playing with a lot of confidence, led 20-5. The Cougars went up 2-0 in the match with a 25-8 victory.

Heading into the third set, Columbia was thriving in the playoff atmosphere. The Broncos could not crack the Cougars as they started out the third on a 5-0 run. Hastings would cut the lead 6-3, but Columbia quickly regained their space as they led 11-4. The Broncos were unable to slow the Cougars down as Columbia cruised to a 25-14 win to sweep Hastings and advance to the Quarterfinals.

Caroline Clifford led the way with 10 kills and seven digs. In addition, Kiersten Anderson and Maria Sandoval each had nine kills, while Sandoval also had nine digs. Manuela Vargas finished the match with 28 assists.

Columbia will play the winner of the Dordt (Iowa) vs. Eastern Oregon match, in the quarterfinals tonight at 6 p.m. Dordt currently has the 2-1 edge in the match against Eastern Oregon.  

The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all 63 matches (including 48 pool-play matches) live at the 2018 NAIA 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 a pool play pass is $24.95 (Nov. 27 – Dec. 1) and a championship package is available at $39.95. You can also buy an All-Championship pass and watch every championship streamed on the NAIA Network in 2018. Buy your All-Championship Pass today. 

To find out more information about the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, click here.