Marian Stamps Ticket For Sioux City in Four-Set Victory Over Columbia International

INDIANAPOLIS - After dropping the first set Saturday night in the NAIA Opening Round, the Marian volleyball team ramped up the intensity and rolled to three consecutive set victories over Columbia International, taking the match 3-1 to advance to the NAIA Tournament Final Site. Marian improves to 24-8 overall on the season after their NAIA Opening Round win.

Marian got off to a hot start in the match, rattling off the first six points in set one to take a quick lead. The Knights won the race to 10 points, but saw their lead whittle away as Columbia International scored in bunches of two and three, tying the set at 10-10. A kill from Mikayla Christiansen helped Marian surge on top 12-10, but a 5-0 run by the Rams on the opposite side of the swing gave the visitors a lead, forcing a timeout by the Knights. Christiansen would land a kill to get the Knights back within two, but CIU responded with a 5-0 run again, pushing the lead to seven. Columbia International would go on to win the opening set 25-16, finishing the game on a 5-3 advantage.

The Knights again found themselves playing from behind early in the second set as they took the floor following their set one loss, as the Rams barged ahead 7-3. Marian would behind by as many as six in the game, but slowly chipped away, as a Logan Smith kill ignited the offense. Khori Dryden and Madison Brooks landed kills to help tie the set at 13-13, and set up a quick exchange of points over the next eight rallies. Gabby Fish ended the point-swapping as she scored a kill to tie the set at 17-17, and started a 3-0 sprint as Nicole Wilkinson recorded a pair of block assists to give Marian the 19-17 edge. CIU would rally to tie, but a pair of 2-0 swings that featured two service aces gave Marian a 23-20 lead, pushing them to their 25-21 second set win.

Landing the second set victory helped Marian regain momentum, as they came out strong in the third set with a 4-0 run. Marian's run would be answered with a 3-1 swing favoring Columbia International, bringing the Rams within one point at a 9-8 count. Fish halted the momentum from the opposite side of the net with a kill, fueling the 6-0 run that gave Marian a 15-8 edge. The Rams would eventually rally back within two points, but were unable to catch Marian as self-inflicted errors pushed the Knights in front 21-16. Fish and Brooks paced the closing stretch for the Knights, with the seniors scoring kills to reach set point, while Wilkinson buried the set-winning point giving Marian the 25-22 victory.

Carrying a 2-1 lead into the fourth set, Marian again pounced on Columbia International, building an 8-1 lead that featured three kills from Evie Dart. The strong start helped Marian push in front 13-8, but the Rams again showed fight inching within two. A kill by CIU's Hanah Weiss made the score 14-12 in favor of Marian, and was answered by Khori Dryden, as the sophomore helped spark a 4-1 run to push the home lead to five. Marian carried their lead the rest of the way, and got a kill and ace from Christiansen to reach match point. Dryden would be the recipient of the final pass from Logan Smith, putting away the match-winning kill as the Knights closed the NAIA Opening Round with a 25-20 victory, taking the contest 3-1.

The Knights finished the match hitting .151, while recording 81 digs and seven service aces. Columbia led the match with kills, digs, and assists, however Marian committed 12 less errors in the match, helping their victory. Dryden led the team with a 13-kill, 11-dig double-double, while Christiansen finished with 11 kills and 11 digs. Emma Lyons posted a team-high 20 digs, and Logan Smith had a double-double with 19 assists and 15 digs. Emerson Evans recorded 17 assists, and Wilkinson led the team with seven total blocks, including one solo.

Marian has now punched their ticket for Sioux City, Iowa, and will learn their opponents in the NAIA Pool Play on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET.

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