POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Grace’s volleyball team kicked off its appearance at the 2023 NCCAA National Championships with a pair of sweeps on Wednesday.
The Lancers (21-11) sank Regent and Baptist Bible in straight sets to begin pool play.
The Lancers will end pool play on Thursday with a 4:45 p.m. (Eastern Time) match against Mid-America Christian. A win would guarantee Grace the top spot in the pool.
The top two teams from Grace’s pool will advance to the national semifinals on Friday. Grace may lock up its spot in the semifinals before the team plays on Thursday, depending on the results earlier in the day.
Grace began national tournament play with a sweep of Regent. The Lancers wasted little time seizing control in the match.
With the score knotted at 5-5 in the first set, Grace exploded for 13 unanswered points. Alisha Leffring had three kills during the spree, and Sahara Bee and Jadyn Ross had two kills as well.
The Lancers sped away for a dominant 25-9 win. Grace had 16 kills on a sensational .565 percentage during the set. Leffring had five swings on five attempts; Bee, Ross and Katie Swanson added three kills apiece.
Grace began the second set with three straight points and gradually opened up a 16-9 lead on a block from Swanson and Livia Tate.
The Lancers won seven of the final eight points to take the set 25-14.
Leffring racked up three quick kills in the third set as Grace grabbed a 7-1 advantage. Not long after, the Lancers found themselves in front 14-3.
The Lancers led by double digits for most of the remainder, ending the match with a 25-12 victory. Callie Jo Celichowski and Riley Owens combined for a block on the final rally.
The win gave Grace its first 20-win season since 2018.
The Lancers held a dominant 44-16 advantage in kills. Grace hit at a .363 percentage while holding the Royals to a negative percentage of -.056.
Leffring had 12 kills on 14 attempts, hitting at a sizzling .786 percentage. Swanson had nine kills on a .467 percentage, and Ross finished with seven kills and nine digs.
Liz Schmidt and McKenzie Stakely tied Ross for the team lead with nine digs, and Owens (19 assists, five digs) and Morgan Syoen (16 assists, five digs) directed Grace’s offense well.
Grace ended the day with its second sweep — this time over Baptist Bible.
In the first set, Grace pounced in front 8-3. The Lancers had seven kills during that stretch, including three from Swanson and back-to-back from Tate.
Grace maintained a cushion through the middle portions of the set, forcing another timeout with a 19-12 lead.
The Patriots were unable to bridge the gap. Leffring ended the set with an emphatic kill at the net as Grace won 25-15. Leffring had four kills and three block assists, and Swanson had four kills on five attempts in the set.
Grace began the second set well by winning seven of the first 10 rallies. Midway into the set, Anna Ballengee sparked the side with two kills, and Ross and Schmidt both aced.
The Lancers eased away to a 25-14 win to take a stranglehold on the match.
In the third set, Grace primarily used its bench to finish off the sweep. Celichowski, Brea Harris and Claire Jackson each had kills down the stretch as Grace won 25-17.
Swanson finished with 10 kills on 16 attempts for a .625 percentage, and Leffring had six kills (.600 percentage) and three block assists.
Bee tallied five kills and four block assists, Ross had five kills and six digs, and Ballengee and Cassadi Colbert combined for 10 kills on 14 attempts.
Jackson knocked down three kills on four swings, Schmidt had 13 digs and two aces, Owens picked up 18 assists with seven digs, and Syoen collected 16 assists with six digs.