Sobasky Sets Career High, V-Hawks Fall in Pool Play

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball team, who was ranked #9 in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, battled Columbia College (Mo.), ranked #16, in their first game of pool play at the Final site of the NAIA Volleyball Tournament Thursday night. The Cougars claimed the victory 1-3 (22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 24-26) to improve to 29-10 and move onto bracket play, while the V-Hawks drop to 29-8.

Jada Mitchell and Mariah Calkins each had multiple kills earnly to pace the V-Hawks, and Calkins combined with Grace Rohde for a block to put Viterbo up 11-6. A short run by the Cougars brought the score to 13-10 until Kenzie Winker and Mitchell built Viterbo's lead back to 16-11. A 7-0 run put Columbia on top 21-20, and while Rohde and Winker had late kills, the Cougars took the opening set 22-25.

Columbia took the early advantage 4-7 in the second set, but errors, and kills from Rohde and Winker, helped Viterbo take the lead at 9-8. Lauryn Sobasky set up Martina McGrath for a pair of kills, followed by a short run highlighted by a Grace Peyron kill and Cailie Kowal ace to give Viterbo a 16-12 lead. The set ended with kills from Winker and errors by CC in Viterbo's favor, 25-21.

V-Hawks errors helped Columbia take an early 4-7 lead, and while the Cougars would get up by as much as 8-12, VU put together a 6-1 run, including an Adrianna Reinhart ace, to take the lead 14-13. The set remained close, with Rodhe tying the match at 19-19 and 20-20, but after a Winker kill, Columbia scored four straight to take the set 21-25.

Sobasky started the fourth set with an ace, and teams would continue to trade points, with the match seeing nine ties by the time it reached 10-10, on another Sobasky ace. Columbia managed a small advantage 12-14, and while kills from Winker, Rohde, and Sobasky kept the V-Hawks close, the Cougars did go up 16-20. Rohde sparked a 4-0 run to tie the game at 20-20 and Mitchell out down a kill and combined with McGrath for a block to reach set point, 24-22. Columbia would manage one final run, scoring four straight and claiming victory 24-26.

Rohde led all players with 19 kills on .319 hitting percentage, Winker added 16 and 12 digs, and Mitchell recorded 13. Sobasky set a career high with 51 assists and added two service aces, and Reinhart led four V-Hawks in double digits with 23 digs.

Allana Capella led the Cougars with 15 kills and six blocks, Luisa Ferreira had a game high 54 assists, and Magdalena Bostal had 22 digs.

The V-Hawks will play their final game of the season on Friday night against Missouri Baptist University.