V-Hawks Sweep Spartans; End Season on a Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Viterbo (30-8) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Missouri Baptist (30-5) | 20 | 21 | 23 | 0 |
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball team, who was ranked #9 in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll, defeated #12 Missouri Baptist University 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-23) in the final game of pool play at the NAIA Volleyball National Tournament Championship. The V-Hawks end the season with a 30-8 record, and the Spartans finish at 30-5. This was the 14th team in school history to reach the 30-win mark.
MBU began the game with multiple aces to take an early advantage until Grace Rohde put down three kills in four volleys to give Viterbo an 11-9 lead. After the Spartans tied the game on V-Hawks errors, Lauryn Sobasky set up Jada Mitchell and Kenzie Winker, and by blocks from Mitchell, Sobasky, and Grace Peyron put Viterbo up 17-14. Missouri Baptist brought the set back within one at 21-20, but the V-Hawks scored four straight to take the opening set, capped by a Cailie Kowal ace.
Martina McGrath and Winker helped VU jump out to a 5-1 lead in the second set with a pair of kills each. MBU closed the lead to one, then the teams traded points over the next 14 volleys, with Rohde and Mariah Calkins scoring for Viterbo, and Adrianna Reinhart adding an ace. The Spartans would be able to tie the set at 18-18, but another Rohde kill and a Calkins block gave the V-Hawks a comfortable lead and VU won the set 25-21 following multiple MBU errors.
Missouri Baptist took control of the third set early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Rohde finally put the V-Hawks on the board, and Calkins led a 7-1 run to take the lead at 14-13. Another Kowal ace and a Sobasky kill kept Viterbo close as MBU took a 19-21 lead, but the V-Hawks managed one final run, highlighted by a Rohde kill and a Reinhart ace, to give Viterbo the 3-0 sweep.
Rohde led all players with 11 kills, Calkins added nine with two blocks, and Mitchell recorded seven kills with three blocks. Sobasky had a game-high 31 assists and Reinhart led with 21 digs. Gabi Jakubowska led the Spartans with 10 kills, Shannon McLain had 26 assists, and Emma Lattimore had 14 digs.