SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (NAIA | Complete Schedule) Top seeds reign supreme on day one of pool play action at the 2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, presented by J&L Staffing and Recruiting.
***Bold above indicates the team advances to Bracket Play****
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (34-3) def. Davenport (Mich.) (35-8), 3-1
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (30-2) def. Briar Cliff (Iowa) (19-13), 3-0
Park (Mo.) (35-0) def. Evangel (Mo.) (26-12), 3-0
Eastern Oregon (28-4) def. Grand View (Iowa ) (26-14), 3-0
Concordia (Calif.) (32-2) def. College of Idaho (20-12), 3-1
Georgetown (Ky.) (30-10) def. Midland (Neb.) (24-9), 3-2
Biola (Calif.) (29-4) def. Coastal Georgia (35-2), 3-0
Viterbo (Wis.) (36-7) def. Madonna (Mich.) (38-8), 3-0
Texas at Brownsville (30-4) def. Vanguard (Calif.) (23-12), 3-0
Southern Oregon (24-5) def. Columbia (Mo.) (33-6), 3-1
Northwestern (Iowa) (32-3) def. Jamestown (N.D.) (25-7), 3-0
Missouri Baptist (35-3) def. Indiana Wesleyan (33-8), 3-1
With the 24-team field being divided into six pools of four teams each, every program played one match within their respective pool on Tuesday.
No. 1 seeded squads ended the day with a 6-0 record that included four sweeps. Golden State Athletic Conference co-champion Concordia (Calif.) and Missouri Baptist were the two No. 1 teams to drop a set today. The Eagles downed College of Idaho, 3-1, and the Spartans defeated Indiana Wesleyan, 3-1.
Overall No. 1 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) extended its winning streak to 29 and reached the 30-win plateau for the first time since the 2011 season with a 3-0 victory against championship host Briar Cliff (Iowa). The Battlin’ Bears were dominant as a team, hitting .345 for the match with nine blocks. Yang Yang led the effort with 17 kills and a .485 attack percentage.
Park (Mo.) – the only remaining unbeaten team in NAIA volleyball – improved to 35-0 on the season with a 3-0 win against Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament champion Evangel (Mo.). Outside hitter Wendy Romero tied a program record with her 69th service ace of the year in the match and was 1-of-3 Pirates with double-digit kills. Right side Wanessa Siqueira owned a match-high 17 kills and .536 hitting percentage.
With the sweep, Park boasts a set record of 105-2. The Pirates haven’t dropped a set since Oct. 24 against Missouri Baptist.
Defending national champion Texas at Brownsville won its 13th-straight national championship pool play match with a 3-0 sweep of Vanguard (Calif.). The Ocelots, who are 17-2 all-time in pool play with their last loss came in 2009 against Concordia, were led by Bojana Mitrovic’s 11 kills. Texas at Brownsville plays Southern Oregon tomorrow at 1 p.m.
