Box Score Sioux City, Iowa – The third ranked Columbia College women's volleyball team was back in action tonight when they took on Dordt (Iowa) College in the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Quarterfinals presented by Delta Hotels. The Cougars, who swept Hastings (Neb.) College earlier today, were able to defeat the Defenders in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-13) to improve to 41-4 on the season and advance to the semifinals of the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships presented by Delta Hotels.
Columbia College came out in the first set and got off to a slow start as the Defenders jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. They were able to settle in over the next few rallies and went on a 4-1 run to tie the game at four. The score remained close for the next few points but with the score tied at 10, Dordt was able to use a 10-6 run to take a 20-16 lead. Columbia College did their best to get back into the set but the Defenders were able to close them out down the stretch to solidify the first game by a final score of 25-20 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Dordt carried over their momentum from the first set into the second set and were able to jump out to an early 9-6 lead. The Cougars responded by scoring the next five points in the set to take an 11-9 lead and the score remained close over the next few rallies. However, with the score tied at 18, Columbia College was able to end the set on a 7-4 run to take the second game by a final score of 25-22 to tie the match at one set apiece.
The Cougars came out in the third set and dominated the defenders from the start. They scored the first four points of the game before Dordt was able to get on the board. They continued to play well as the set progressed and held a 14-7 lead midway through the game. The Defenders tried to get back into the set but the Cougars were playing well and they could not cut into the lead. With Columbia College leading 18-10 late in the set, they were able to end the game on a 7-3 run to clinch the set by a final score of 25-13 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Cougars continued to play well at the start of the fourth set as they jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. Dordt responded by scoring the next three points to cut the lead to one but a 10-4 run from Columbia extended their lead to 14-7. The Defenders did their best to get back into the set but the Cougars attack was too strong for them to defend as they were able to cruise to a 25-13 victory to clinch their spot in the semifinals.
Maria Sandoval led the way for Columbia College as she finished with a team high 14 kills. To go along with Sandoval, Caroline Clifford added 12 kills, Manuela Vargas finished with a match high 46 assists and added 11 digs, and Thais Andrade recorded a match high 12 digs to round out the top performers for the Cougars.
With the win tonight, Columbia College has advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championships presented by Delta Hotels. This is the programs 13th trip to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Semifinals and their first since they won the 2015 NAIA National Championship. They will be back in action tomorrow, December 1st when they take on the Viterbo (Wis.) University in Sioux City, Iowa, at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as well as the NAIA Network.
To find out more information about the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, click here.
