The first match of the day was an American Mideast Conference match that pitted MVNU (28-7, 8-2 AMC) against the host Lady Pioneers (22-8, 5-5 AMC). After falling 25-14 in the first set, the Lady Cougars bounced back to sweep the next three sets 25-18, 25-19, 25-16 to earn the win that guaranteed them a spot in the five-team AMC Tournament on November 13-14. The match was also important for MVNU as it looks to qualify for the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament as the Lady Cougars are now 2-0 in NCCAA East Region play with only a match against Geneva (Pa.) College left on November 3 to determine that berth.

Junior outside hitter Jackie Albrecht (left) led the Lady Cougars against Malone with 16 kills, 18 digs, and three blocks, while junior middle hitter Sarah Yutzy added 12 kills and a team-high five blocks. Senior right-side hitter Courtney Springer also pounded seven kills with three blocks, and junior libero Caitlin Myles and freshman right-side hitter Kaylee Hewitt posted 21 and 17 digs respectively. Senior setter Kaylin Austen handed out 35 assists with nine digs, while senior outside hitter Julie Haumschild finished with five kills and three blocks.

“Malone came out and played extremely well in the first set,” said MVNU coach Paul Swanson. “They are a very good team. I was pleased with the way that we bounced back in the next three sets and really picked up our play. This was an important match for us as it related to our postseason possibilities. The team did a great job and rallied for a great win.”

The Lady Cougars then turned their focus towards Wooster (20-7) in a non-conference match to end the day. MVNU swept the Lady Scots 25-20, 25-21, 25-16 to run its winning streak to a season-best eight matches. Albrecht again led the way with 17 kills, 13 digs, four blocks, and two aces, while Springer added seven kills and two aces and freshman middle hitter Haley Nofziger pounded six kills. Austen handed out 30 assists to go with 11 digs, and Myles led the team with 20 digs.

“We played very consistent in this match,” said Swanson. "We were able to build leads and then sustain them late in each set. They were a very emotional team that got hot in spurts, and we did a good job of doing what we needed to do in order to get the win.”

MVNU will be back in action on Thursday when the Lady Cougars will host Notre Dame College in the team’s next-to-last home game and conference game at 7:00 p.m.