The Lady Cougars (30-1) got the day under way with a 30-23, 30-19, 30-18 victory over Roberts Wesleyan to claim the NCCAA East Region title with a 3-0 mark in the round robin format that also included sweeps of Geneva (Pa.) College and Malone College on Friday night.

Senior middle hitter Shena Beheler led MVNU with 17 kills, four blocks, and two aces in the win over the Lady Raiders (12-21). Sophomore outside hitter Courtney Springer added 11 kills, while sophomore setter Kaylin Austen (left) handed out 35 assists. Senior libero Tiffany Milburn posted 13 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Stephanie Zollars registered three blocks.

The Lady Cougars, who are ranked 17th in the latest NAIA poll, closed out the day and the weekend with a 30-15, 30-15, 30-15 sweep of Carlow (Pa.) University as MVNU reached the 30-win mark for the 15th straight year in the process and also extended the team’s winning streak to 18 consecutive matches. In the last 15 matches, the Lady Cougars have posted a 45-2 games record and have gone 54-4 overall during the winning streak.

Freshman middle hitter Sarah Yutzy led MVNU with 10 kills and two blocks, while junior outside hitter Audrey Hickinbotham (right) and freshman middle hitter Jackie Albrecht each smashed seven kills. Beheler tallied seven blocks, and Austen handed out 30 assists with two aces. Milburn contributed 14 digs and three aces, while Springer finished with nine digs and two aces.

"We did a nice job of taking care of business this weekend,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson. "We were able to get everyone into the action and they all contributed. It is always important to us to qualify for the NCCAA National Tournament. Now, we need to switch our focus back to conference play with a big match coming up on Tuesday.”

The Lady Cougars will return to action on Tuesday when MVNU will host Cedarville University in an important American Mideast Conference South Division match at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Cougars enter the match with an 8-0 conference mark, while the Yellow Jackets are in second place in conference play with an 8-2 mark.