CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Columbia College swept its way through Friday's American Midwest Conference Tournament bracket at The Beal Center, dispatching UHSP 3-0 in the quarterfinals before defeating Central Baptist 3-0 in the semifinals to advance to Saturday's championship match.
The Cougars (22-14) are now making their sixth consecutive appearance in the AMC Tournament final after dominant performances in both matches.
Quarterfinals: Columbia 3, UHSP 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-13)
Viola Giangreco and Isabella Kincaid each tallied 10 kills to lead the Cougars' offense, with Giangreco hitting an exceptional .563. Hannah Vogt (15 assists) and Alexa Olson (14 assists) led the offensive charge for the Cougars.
The Cougars' serving attack proved to be too much for the Eutectics, with Rita Marques leading the way with three aces while Columbia totaled 10 service aces as a team. Hannah Vogt and Taylor Johnson each added two aces. Defensively, Rita Marques totaled nine digs, while Kincaid added 15 and Johnson contributed 9.
After a competitive first set that saw the match tied at 15-15, Columbia closed on a 10-4 run to take control. The Cougars dominated the second and third sets. Mila Zoric made an impact at the net with three solo blocks and three block assists for 6 total blocks.
Semifinals: Columbia 3, Central Baptist 0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-20)
Columbia's evening semifinal started with a huge first set, as Aholt delivered a remarkable 11-point serving run that turned a 6-6 tie into a 22-6 Columbia advantage. The Cougars cruised to a 25-8 opening set victory behind Aholt's dominant service game.
Kenedi Canty led Columbia's offensive effort with 10 kills and a .471 hitting percentage, while Giangreco added 9 kills on .467 hitting. Mila Zoric contributed seven kills while hitting .545 and added two solo blocks. Olson orchestrated the offense with 24 assists, while Hannah Vogt followed with 13 assists and nine digs.
Taylor Johnson recorded a match-high 19 digs, while Aholt finished with six aces and five digs. The Cougars hit .263 as a team, controlling the match from start to finish despite a late push in the third set.
Emma Breier provided key kills down the stretch as Columbia closed out the match and punched their ticket to Saturday's championship.
