MVNU Women's Volleyball Sweeps The Master’s to Begin Pool Play in Sioux City

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. – The No. 13 Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's volleyball team (31-4) kicked off Pool D play at the Final Site, held at the Tyson Events Center, with an opening match against No. 21 The Master's University (California) (21-8).

The Lady Cougars surged ahead early in the first set, jumping to a 3-0 lead against the Lady Mustangs. They maintained control and extended their advantage to 7-3, prompting The Master's to call a timeout. The Lady Mustangs fought back, narrowing the gap to 12-9, but MVNU countered with a four-point run, pushing the score to 16-9. With their third service ace of the set, MVNU led 22-15 and ultimately secured the first set with a 25-18 victory.

In set two, MVNU started strong, building an 11-3 lead that forced The Master's to call an early timeout to halt the momentum. Later, with MVNU up 20-10 and its offensive attack firing on all cylinders, The Master's called another timeout in a bid to regroup. However, they couldn't mount an offensive comeback, and the Lady Cougars secured the set with a dominant 25-13 victory.

Set three was the closest of the contest. The Master's took an early 2-0 lead before MVNU responded. The set was marked by significant scoring runs, with MVNU going on a six-point streak to take an 8-4 advantage. However, the Lady Mustangs answered with a four-point run of their own, tying the score at 8-8. The match was a back-and-forth battle until MVNU gained a three-point edge with a decisive attack from Libby Evanshine, prompting The Master's to call a timeout as MVNU led 18-15. From there, MVNU maintained control, securing the victory with a match-winning kill by Faith Maloney to claim a 25-21 win and sweep their opening Pool D matchup.

This sweep marked MVNU's first victory in pool play at the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, after qualifying in four previous seasons: 2007, 2016, 2017, and 2023.

Top Performers:

Reagan Nuss – 32 assists, 12 digs, 5 kills, 1 block, and 1 service ace.

Evanshine – 15 kills, 3 digs, 2 blocks, and a .556 H% on 27 attacks.

Lyssi Snouffer – 10 kills, 6 digs, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 service ace.

Jaelyn Tang – 10 digs and 6 assists.

Maloney – 8 kills and 4 blocks.

Abbey Niemesh – 5 kills and 5 blocks.

Lilla Nicholas – 3 service aces and 1 dig.

What's Next:

The Lady Cougars are set to face No. 4 Concordia University (Nebraska) in their final Pool D matchup tomorrow, December 6, on Court 2 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The winner will secure a spot in the Final Bracket, advancing to the Quarterfinals to play next on December 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,100 students from 22 states and 21 foreign countries.