MARION, Ind. - Grace’s volleyball team made a major statement on Friday against premier NAIA competition.
The Lancers secured two NAIA Top 25 upsets, stunning No. 6 Midland and No. 16 IU Kokomo in the span of a few hours.
The two upsets wrapped up Grace’s season-opening tournament at the IWU Invitational. The Lancers (3-0) were the only squad to leave the tournament unbeaten, which included three ranked teams (No. 1 IWU, No. 6 Midland, No. 16 IU Kokomo).
The Lancers’ win over No. 6 Midland was the team’s highest-ranked upset in recorded history, bettering Grace’s upset (twice) of then-No. 7 IWU in both 2020 and 2012.
Grace and Midland exchanged small leads in the early portions of the first set. Grace used a 6-0 run to jump on top 14-10. Midland trimmed Grace’s gap to two points on two occasions, but the Lancers refused to surrender the lead.
Alisa Voss had two late kills to ice the win, including the final point as Grace won 25-21.
The Lancers grabbed a slight lead early in the second set, but the Warriors countered with a 10-3 run to regain the lead for good. Midland leveled the match with a 25-19 victory.
The pivotal third set belonged solely to Grace. The Lancers won seven of the first 10 points, which included two kills and two block points from Alisha Voss.
A steady flow of offense from Anna Elkin, Anna Ballengee and Sahara Bee continued to carry Grace during the middle portions of the set, allowing Grace to pull away. The Lancers secured the 25-16 win to take a 2-1 edge in the match.
In the fourth set, Midland edged in front 9-5 after a handful of errors by Grace. The Warriors maintained their cushion and led 19-14.
But Grace showed its mettle, unleashing 10 unanswered points to seize control of the match. Grace found contributions from several players, including kills from Ballengee, Olivia Martinez, Voss and Elkin.
Midland burned both of its timeouts during Grace’s furious flurry, but the Lancers’ momentum proved too much to overcome. Grace polished off the upset with a 25-21 win.
Grace was stout at both ends of the court. The offense amassed 52 kills at a .206 clip; the defense held Midland to 41 kills at a .081 percentage. Grace had 59 digs and 14 block points to stifle the Warriors.
Voss led all players with 14 kills, 1 solo block and 8 block assists. Ballengee had nine kills, and Bee added 8 kills, 4 block assists and 3 digs.
Grace’s freshman trio impressed. Elkin had six kills on a .333 percentage with three block assists, Martinez notched four kills with nine digs, and Leah Henderson added five kills.
McKenzie Stakely finished with 15 digs, Jadyn Ross had 4 kills, 3 block assists and 6 digs, and Emma Blackford served up three aces with five digs.
Riley Owens added a double-double of 26 assists and 10 digs, and Morgan Syoen had 21 assists.
In Grace’s final match of the tournament, the Lancers toppled another ranked foe in No. 16 IU Kokomo.
The Cougars claimed the opening set by a narrow margin. IUK scored five of the first six points and eventually won 25-23.
The second set was another nailbiter with a different ending. Grace led 5-1 at the onset, but the teams remained deadlocked from start to finish.
Livia Tate earned a kill and a block on back-to-back plays, giving Grace a timely boost. Voss and Bee also added kills down the stretch as Grace held on for a 25-23 victory.
Grace showed off its firepower in the third set. The Lancers’ offense was explosive with 20 kills on a .342 percentage during the set.
Freshmen Elkin and Henderson provided two kills apiece over the final few points, allowing Grace to seize the 25-21 win.
The teams saved the most dramatic set for last as the fourth set was a roller coaster of emotion.
The Lancers held a 19-15 advantage in the closing portions of the set, but the Cougars rallied in front to serve for the set at 24-23.
Voss earned a kill on the next play to force extra points, setting up a nervy finish. Grace had to stave off three more set points, doing so with kills from Voss, Elkin and Ballengee.
Riley Owens then served up an ace to put the advantage in Grace’s favor. Shortly afterwards, back-to-back kills from Ballengee and Elkin completed the exhilarating 30-28 win to secure Grace’s second upset victory of the day.
Voss was unstoppable with 17 kills on a .533 percentage, adding a solo block and three block assists.
Elkin also erupted with 16 kills on a .286 percentage, and Ballengee flirted with a double-double (10 kills, 7 digs).
Henderson (7 kills, 4 block assists), Tate (4 kills, 5 block assists) and Bee (7 kills, 2 block assists) contributed on both sides of the net. Stakely (13 digs), Martinez (13 digs) and Ross (12 digs) were key defensive players.
Syoen had 29 assists with five digs, and Owens added 24 assists and 10 digs.
The Lancers have another tournament next weekend at the USF Invitational in Fort Wayne on Friday and Saturday.