After going 2-0 on Friday in pool play, MVNU (39-2), which is ranked 13th in the latest NAIA poll, posted a 30-22, 30-27, 27-30, 30-26 victory over 21st-ranked Walsh University (29-9) in the first semifinal match on Saturday. Senior middle hitter Shena Beheler led the Lady Cougars with 23 kills, four blocks, and a career-high 20 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Courtney Springer pounded 13 kills with a career-high nine blocks and 15 digs. Junior outside hitter Audrey Hickinbotham matched her career high with 14 kills, and sophomore setter Kaylin Austen handed out 53 assists. Senior libero Tiffany Milburn also contributed a team-high 24 digs, while freshman middle hitter Jackie Albrecht finished with nine kills, a career-high 10 blocks, and a career-high 16 digs.

After Malone College (23-18) eliminated Cedarville University 30-23, 30-18, 26-30, 30-28 in the second semifinal match, MVNU squared off with Malone for the fifth time this season in the AMC/NAIA Region IX Tournament championship match with the Lady Cougars winning the four previous matches. It was the third appearance in the region title match for MVNU and the first for the Lady Pioneers (23-18) with both teams looking for their first region title and first trip to the NAIA National Tournament.

In a back-and-forth first game, the Lady Cougars rallied for a 33-31 win. MVNU carried the momentum over to the second game as the Lady Cougars cruised to a 30-20 victory. Then, in the third game with the score tied at 26-26, Malone scored the final four points to take the game 30-26 and force a fourth game. The fourth game was close throughout with MVNU rallying from an early deficit. Then, the Lady Cougars pulled away from a slim 28-26 margin to take the game 30-26 and win the match, the AMC/NAIA Region IX Tournament title, and the automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament.

Albrecht led the Lady Cougars with 17 kills, five blocks, and 13 digs. Beheler added 15 kills, six blocks, and nine digs. Hickinbotham smashed 11 kills, while Springer tallied eights kills, three aces, and 14 digs. Milburn also posted 15 digs and three aces, and Austen handed out 44 assists.

“It is just an amazing accomplishment for this team to finally get our program to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time,” said MVNU head coach Paul Swanson, who is the NAIA’s all-time wins leader with an 849-299 record in 25 seasons - 24 of which have been with the Lady Cougars. “Walsh and Malone are both very good teams and made us earn our wins today. It took the whole team working together and doing all the little things well in order to accomplish this milestone.”

MVNU will now await word as to what the NAIA National Tournament pool play schedule will be from a time and opponent standpoint. The 20-team event will get under way on November 28 and last until December 1 at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. There will be four pools of five teams with each team guaranteed four pool play matches. Then, the top two teams in each pool will advance to the single elimination quarterfinals. The pool play pairings and times should be available at some point on November 18.

American Mideast Conference/NAIA Region IX Tournament Updates