Marion, Ind. - The Columbia College volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a tough day at the Power Quad tournament, falling to No. 4 Concordia (NE) 3-1 and No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan 3-0 on Thursday at Luckey Arena.

Now 0-2 on the early season, the Cougars will look to bounce back in their final match of the tournament tomorrow against MidAmerica Nazarene. 

Game 1: #4 Concordia defeats Columbia 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18)

Columbia showed resilience against the fourth-ranked Bulldogs, stealing the second set after dropping the opener.

In the first set, the Cougars kept pace early before Concordia pulled away for a 25-17 win. Columbia responded in set two, rallying from a deficit to claim a 25-23 victory behind strong net play and serving. The Bulldogs regrouped in the third set, hitting efficiently to take a 25-13 win. Concordia closed out the match with a 25-18 fourth set victory.

For Columbia, Nazarena Avila led the offensive attack with 10 kills and 11 points, while Samira Baltazar added nine kills. Alexa Olson distributed the ball well with 18 assists.

Defensively, the Cougars were led by Taylor Johnson's 16 digs.

Game 2: #1 Indiana Wesleyan defeats Columbia 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-23)

Facing the nation's top-ranked team just hours after their first match, Columbia battled throughout but fell in straight sets to the Wildcats.

The first two sets saw Indiana Wesleyan control play, taking 25-16 and 25-15 victories. The third set provided the most drama as Columbia mounted a comeback from a 16-20 deficit. The Cougars tied the match at 20-20 and took leads at 21-20 and 22-20 before IWU closed out the set 25-23.

Emma Breier paced Columbia's offense with seven kills, while Mila Zoric and Kenedi Canty each contributed four kills.

Hannah Vogt led in assists with 14, while Rita Marques anchored the defense with 13 digs.