The Lady Cougars (33-7, 10-2 AMC), who have now won 13 straight matches and received a vote in the most recent NAIA national poll, got off to a great start in the first set as MVNU built an early 17-12 advantage behind two kills and four blocks from junior middle hitter Sarah Yutzy and a pair of kills by senior outside hitter Julie Haumschild.

However, the visiting Lady Cavaliers (26-8, 8-4 AMC) responded by scoring nine of the next 10 points to take a 21-18 lead of their own as they registered three aces to help fuel the surge. Three kills by junior middle hitter Jackie Albrecht (left) helped pull the Lady Cougars within 24-23, but Walsh got a kill for the final point to take the first set 25-23.

In the second set, MVNU once again built an early 16-11 lead as Albrecht and Haumschild each had two kills apiece and senior setter Kaylin Austen served up a pair of aces. Once again, though, the Lady Cavaliers had an answer as Walsh rallied to knot the score at 18-18.

Following a sideout, freshman right-side hitter Kaylee Hewitt served the Lady Cougars to a 22-18 advantage as she talied an ace. Albrecht added three kills to help keep the Lady Cavaliers at bay and stake MVNU to a 24-19 lead, and then after four straight points by Walsh to make things interesting, Albrecht pounded her sixth kill of the set to give the Lady Cougars a 25-23 win and even the match at one set apiece.

With momentum from the win and great support from the home crowd, MVNU jumped out to an early 22-9 lead in the third set as Albrecht blasted five kills and senior right-side hitter Courtney Springer slammed three kills. The teams traded points the rest of the way until the Lady Cavaliers scored two straight points before serving the ball out of pounds on set point as the Lady Cougars prevailed 25-13.

The fourth set was a classic battle between the two long-time conference powers and rivals with MVNU holding a slim 9-8 lead. Then, Walsh rattled off 11 of the 15 points to take a 19-13 advantage, which was the Lady Cavaliers’ first lead since the end of the first set.

The Lady Cougars began to slowly whittle away at the lead as Albrecht hammered three kills and Haumschild added a pair of blocks to close the gap to 21-20. Following a sideout that pushed Walsh’s lead back to 22-20, Yutzy and Springer had back-to-back kills to knot the match at 22-22.

Springer and Yutzy added another kill each around a pair of sideouts by Walsh as the score moved to 24-24 as the second kill staved off the first set point attempt by the Lady Cavaliers. Then, a block by Austen gave MVNU a 25-24 advantage and its first attempt at match point.

However, Walsh was able to sideout and knot the score at 25-25 and then the Lady Cavaliers took a 27-26 advantage with a second attempt to win the set and force a fifth set. This time a kill by Albrecht pulled the Lady Cougars even at 27-27.

Walsh had a third attempt at set point after taking a 28-27 lead, but MVNU scored two straight points to go on top 29-28 and take their second attempt to win the match.

After a service error knotted the score at 29-29, a kill by Yutzy gave the Lady Cougars another shot at finishing the match. The third time was the charm as MVNU notched the final point on a hitting error by the Lady Cavaliers to take the set 31-29 and earn a hard-fought victory in the match.

“Wow, what a match!” exclaimed MVNU coach Paul Swanson. “This was a battle between two good teams who were both on top of their games tonight. The crowd was awesome and was treated to a high level of play by both teams with long rallies and exciting sets. It was a lot of fun to be a part of this match with such a great atmosphere, and it was great when it was all over with that we were able to come out on top against a very good team. I am very proud of the effort that our team put forth on the court, and I am thankful to the fans who came out and cheered us on.”

“The team did a great job tonight of executing and hustling,” Swanson added. “This was a great win as we continue to work on improving and getting better each time out. This match definitely felt like a playoff match and is the kind of match that we need to be ready for the rest of the season as we head into the playoffs.”

“It was great for the seniors to get a win on Senior Night,” said Swanson of Austen, Haumschild, and Springer (below from left to right), who were honored prior to the match. “They have been essential to our success this year, and they all played a big role in this win tonight.”

Albrecht finished with 20 kills, 25 digs, and three blocks to lead the Lady Cougars, while Yutzy pounded 12 kills and posted a team-high seven blocks. Austen handed out 40 assists to go with 12 digs and two aces, and Springer totaled eight kills and 18 digs. Junior libero Caitlin Myles tallied a team-best 29 digs, while Hewitt added 23 digs and two aces. Haumschild also contributed seven kills and three blocks.

With the victory, the Lady Cougars earned the right to host the five-team AMC Tournament on November 13-14. MVNU will be the top seed and will have a bye into the semifinals on November 14, while the other four teams will include Walsh, Cedarville University, the University of Northwestern Ohio, and Point Park (Pa.) University. Match times have not yet been announced and the final pairings will not come out until after Point Park’s final conference match at Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College on Saturday afternoon as that result will help determine the seedings. The winner of the AMC Tournament will receive an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round on November 21.