COLUMBIA, MO – Columbia College volleyball closed out the regular season in dominant fashion Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader at the Arena of Southwell Complex to secure their 24th American Midwest Conference Regular Season Championship.
The Cougars defeated Stephens 3-1 in the morning match before taking down Central Baptist 3-1 in the afternoon, completing a successful conference campaign that saw them lose just once in league play.
Columbia finished the regular season with a 20-14 overall record and a 17-1 mark in league play.
Game 1: Columbia 3, Stephens 1
Columbia faced its stiffest test of the day against Stephens in a hard-fought four-set victory (25-19, 27-29, 25-20, 25-23).
The Cougars had to battle back in the second set after dropping the opener. Trailing 24-22, Columbia rallied to win seven of the final ten points, taking the marathon set 29-27 to even the match.
Mila Zoric led the balanced Columbia attack with eight kills and added two blocks and six block assists. Isabella Kincaid contributed 10 kills, while Hannah Vogt orchestrated the offense with 19 assists and added three service aces. Taylor Johnson provided a spark with five aces from the service line and posted 19 digs defensively.
Game 2: Columbia 3, Central Baptist 1
The second match saw Columbia dispatch Central Baptist in four sets (25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 25-15).
After splitting the first two sets, the Cougars took control in the third and fourth, hitting .216 and .250 respectively to pull away from the Mustangs.
Viola Giangreco paced Columbia with 11 kills and seven block assists. Kenedi Canty added nine kills and three blocks, while Emma Breier chipped in 10 kills. Hannah Vogt again controlled the tempo with 20 assists and three service aces, while also picking up 17 digs.
Alexa Olson was instrumental in both matches, tallying 21 assists in the morning and 15 in the afternoon while serving up five aces combined on the day.
Tournament Time
With the regular season complete and the conference crown secured, Columbia now turns its attention to the AMC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Cougars will face the No. 8 seed UHSP in the quarterfinals on Friday, November 14 at 10:00 AM as they look to add a tournament championship to their regular season title.
