OKLAHOMA CITY – Making its fourth straight trip to the NCCAA National Championships, the No. 3 seed MACU volleyball team is ready to open pool play on Thursday as the Evangels will face off against No. 2 seed Trinity International (Ill.) at 9 a.m. before challenging sixth-seeded College of the Ozarks at 1:30 p.m. inside Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinal round that will be played on Friday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. before the championship match taking place on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m.
 
MACU SEASON REPORT

• Record: 19-14
• Last Match: Lost at No. 7 SW Assemblies of God (Texas) – 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) – Nov. 11, 2022 – Waxahachie, Texas (SAC Semifinal)
• Stat Leaders:
  • Kills: Lena Stockhammer (380), Cloie Mitchell (263), Miriam Nardi (257)
  • ATK%: Vanessa Moreira (.327), Miriam Nardi (.230), Lena Stockhammer (.179)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (737), Lena Stockhammer (516)
  • Aces: Casady McKinney (55), Sydney Martin (44), Faith Foutch (44)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (655), Sydney Martin (353), Casady McKinney (320)
  • Blocks: Vanessa Moreira (67), Sarah Jones (63), Lena Stockhammer (58)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian enters NCCAA National Championship play after picking up the program's first ever win in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, sweeping fifth-seeded Oklahoma Panhandle State 3-0 inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Nov. 8 before falling to undefeated and eventual SAC Tournament Champion Southwestern Assemblies of God in the SAC Semifinal on Nov. 11.
  • The Evangels earned the automatic berth from the Central Region and enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the six-team field.
  • MACU will be seeking to make another strong run in the tournament as the Evangels are coming off an appearance in the 2021 NCCAA National Championship game. During that run, the Evangels grounded out a hard-fought 3-2 win over Judson (Ill.) before sweeping both Warner (Fla.) and No. 24 Bethel (Ind.) to win their pool. The Evangels then topped Campbellsville (Ky.) 3-1 the Semifinal before losing a hard-fought 3-0 decision to Columbia International (S.C.) in the title tilt.
  • The Evangels bring a wellspring of experience back in the tournament as Cloie Mitchell was an NCCAA All-Tournament honoree during last year's run while Vanessa Moreira, Lena Stockhammer and Faith Foutch were all key contributors in last year's thrilling run.

SCOUTING REPORT
Trinity International (Ill.)

• Record: 26-9
• Last Match: Won vs. Judson (Ill.) – 3-1 (25-16, 25-13, 25-27, 26-24) – Nov. 18, 2022 – Deerfield, Ill. (NCCAA North Central Region Championship)
• Series vs. MACU: First Meeting
• Last Match vs. MACU: N/A
• Players to Watch:
  • Brianna Torres – GR – OH
    • 517 Kills (4.07 K/S), .195 ATK%, 369 Digs (2.91 D/S), 47 Blocks (0.37 B/S), 29 Aces (0.23 SA/S)
  • Anna Skrzypchak – SR – S
    • 1153 Assists (9.30 A/S), 278 Digs (2.24 D/S), 26 Aces (0.21 SA/S)
  • Jaylyn Freeman – SR – DS
    • 578 Digs (4.70 D/S), 102 Assists (0.83 A/S), 34 Aces (0.28 SA/S)
  • Madison Williams – SO – MB
    • 228 Kills (1.87 K/S), .249 ATK%, 56 Blocks (0.46 B/S)
• Team Notes:
  • Trinity International is making its fourth appearance at the NCCAA National Championships in the last five years after topping Judson in the North Central Region Championship match on Nov. 18.
  • The Trojans enter championship play with some momentum after winning six of their last seven matches with their lone loss coming in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Semifinal to Saint Xavier (Ill.).
  • Trinity International is led by CCAC Libero of the Year Jaylyn Freeman, who has notched 578 digs on a 4.70 per set average as well as All-CCAC First Team honoree outside hitter Brianna Torres, who has posted 517 kills on a 4.07 per set average and a .195 attack percentage.
  • Trinity International narrowly missed advancing out of pool play in last year's championship after College of the Ozarks topped the Trojans in a tiebreaker set.
  • Mid-America Christian and Trinity International will be facing each other for the first time in the two programs' respective histories.

College of the Ozarks (Mo.)

• Record: 18-14
• Last Match: Lost vs. (RV) John Brown (Ark.) – 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17) – Nov. 1, 2022 – Point Lookout, Mo.
• Series vs. MACU (2021-): MACU leads 2-0
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-11) – Nov. 18, 2021 – Point Lookout, Mo. (NCCAA Central Region Championship)
• Players to Watch:
  • Bri Linehan – FR – OH/RS
    • 379 Kills (2.98 K/S), .288 ATK%, 100 Digs (0.79 D/S), 59 Blocks (0.46 B/S), 33 Aces (0.26 SA/S)
  • Morgan Austin – SR – S
    • 1116 Assists (8.79 A/S), 293 Digs (2.31 D/S), 123 Kills (0.97 K/S), 35 Aces (0.28 SA/S)
  • Mica Chadwell – SO – DS/L
    • 818 Digs (6.44 D/S), 50 Aces (0.39 SA/S)
  • Brooklyn Crawford – SO – MH
    • 91 Blocks (0.73 B/S), 322 Kills (2.58 K/S), .238 ATK%, 105 Digs (0.84 D/S), 28 Aces (0.28 SA/S)
  • Team Notes:
    • College of the Ozarks is struggling heading into championship play as the Bobcats lost six of their last eight matches, the last coming in a 3-1 defeat at home to John Brown on Nov. 1.
    • The CofO defense is led by sophomore libero Mica Chadwell, who leads the NCCAA in digs with 818 (6.44 per set).
    • Offensively, senior setter Morgan Austin has been the catalyst for a balanced Bobcats attack as she ranks fourth in the NCCAA in assists with 1116 on an 8.79 per set average.
    • Mid-America Christian will be facing College of the Ozarks for the third time in the last two years. In last season's meetings, the Evangels came away with a 3-1 win at the Highlander Invitational on Sept. 3 before cruising to a dominant three-set sweep in the NCCAA Central Region Championship on Nov. 18.