ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Bryan and Columbia International both fell in the NAIA Women's Volleyball Opening Round as each suffered tough road losses.
Bryan lost 3-1 at Marian (Ind.), while Columbia International fell 3-0 to host Eastern Oregon.
BRYAN BATTLES HARD
The Lady Lions squared off against the Knight just 7 months earlier in last year's Opening Round. Bryan came into the match with determination and an edge. Both Set 1 and 2 were tightly contested late with Marian closing out each stanza to take a 2-0 lead. The Knights seemed poised to steal the sweep after leading 21-24, but the Lady Lions would not surrender easily and scored five-straight points to win Set 3, 26-24. This was just the 12th set the Knights had lost all season. With Set 4 tied 15-15, Marian was able to score 10-straight points to win the match and punch their ticket to Sioux City, Iowa. Bryan never backed down against one of the top teams in the nation and took one more step in their journey towards national contention.
Abby Rector capped off her sophomore season with 13 kills. Paige Randolph made her last game one of her best with a season-high of 12 kills. Abby Cross tallied a double-double with 21 assists and 14 digs. Anna Cain led the defensive front at the net with 6 block assists.
RAMS DUEL MOUTAINEERS
The Rams traveled to NAIA ranked No. 12 Eastern Oregon University for their opening-round matchup. The match was CIU's first against a team from the Cascade Collegiate Conference and their first all-time playing in the NAIA national tournment. CIU (29-9) battled the Mountaineers (26-7) through three sets but were not able to overcome EOU and ultimately came up short 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-20).
CIU opened the first set looking like a team destined for an upset and a trip to the NAIA final round, jumping out to an early 5-3 advantage on the Mountaineers. CIU would not be able to hold the momentum, however, dropping the first two sets. The Rams saw their best opportunity for a set win in the third, coming from behind to get as close as 24-20 before the Mountaineers would seal the match.
Freshman Cintia Lorena was extremely impressive on the big stage, recording a match-high 14 kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Ingrid Ferrari also displayed why she is one the best middle blockers in the NAIA as the junior tallied five blocks against one of the nations' top teams. Setter Kamelia De Jesus stood out as she picked up yet another double-double with 19 assists and 14 digs.