POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – After winning its second NCCAA Central Region Championship in the last three years, the MACU volleyball team will be aiming for its first NCCAA National Championship at the Division I level as the Evangels will be competing once again inside Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks.

The Evangels will open pool play this morning against a familiar opponent, as MACU will battle the same sixth-seeded Baptist Bible (Mo.) squad it defeated in the Central Region Semifinal on Nov. 15.

MACU will then take on No. 7 seed Regent (Va.) on Thursday at 11:15 a.m. before wrapping up pool play against No. 2 seed Grace (Ind.) at 3:45 p.m.
 
SEASON REPORT

• Record: 22-11
• Last Match: Won vs. (3) Wayland Baptist (Texas) – 3-0 (25-7, 25-20, 25-20) – Nov. 15, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center (NCCAA Central Region Championship)
• Top Performers:
  • Kills: Sawyer Franz (440, 3.58 K/S), Lena Stockhammer (367, 2.98 K/S), Miriam Nardi (189, 2.01 K/S)
  • ATK% (K-E-A, %): Sawyer Franz (440-181-1152, .225), Sarah Jones (173-68-468, .224), Miriam Nardi (189-82-512, .209)
  • Assists: Casady McKinney (729, 6.02 A/S), Ludmilla Souza (517, 4.92 A/S), Marlee Hunter (134, 1.09 A/S)
  • Aces: Ludmilla Souza (54, 0.51 SA/S), Marlee Hunter (46, 0.37 SA/S), Faith Foutch (45, 0.43 SA/S)
  • Digs: Marlee Hunter (583, 4.74 D/S), Sydney Martin (255, 2.07 D/S), Casady McKinney (232, 1.92 D/S)
  • RCV% (RE-A, %): Marlee Hunter (31-647, .952), Sydney Martin (29-427, .932), Sawyer Franz (40-548, .927)
  • Blocks: Sarah Jones (79, 0.64 B/S), Annabeth Fehrle (50, 0.42 B/S), Lauryn Walters (39, 0.37 B/S)
• Team Notes:
  • Mid-America Christian is heading to its fifth consecutive NCCAA National Championship as the No. 3 seed, the fourth straight as the Central Region representative after it conquered Sooner Athletic Conference rival Wayland Baptist for the fourth time this season with a 25-7, 25-20, 25-20 victory inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Nov. 15. It was the first time the Evangels had ever hosted the regional championship since moving up to the Division I level in 2007.
  • The Evangels head into the championships as one of the hottest teams going in. After a 3-0 loss at No. 20 Texas Wesleyan on Sept. 9 to drop below .500 at 6-7, MACU found its stride by switching to a 6-2 setter rotation the following week in a 3-0 win at home over Central Christian on Sept. 15. Since that win, the Evangels have won 16 of their last 20 matches with three of those four losses coming against NAIA Top 25 opponents as well as two defeats coming in five sets.
  • MACU is headlined by two NCCAA Central Region First Team performers in the region's Player of the Year, freshman outside hitter Sawyer Franz and senior outside Lena Stockhammer. The tandem is the first to record NAIA Era (2007-present) top 10 marks in kills in the same season, as Franz ranks fourth in MACU's record book with 440 while Stockhammer has terminated the eighth-most at 368.
  • For the second consecutive year, sophomore setter Casady McKinney garnered Second Team All-Region honors as she leads MACU's passing efforts once again with 729 assists at 6.02 assists per set in the two-setter rotation, marking the ninth-most dimes in a season in the NAIA Era.
  • A big reason for MACU's mid-season turnaround is the play of junior right side hitter Miriam Nardi. At the time the Evangels fell to 6-7, the Verona, Italy native was recording just 1.27 kills per set on a .098 attack percentage. However, since MACU's lineup change following that loss, Nardi has been one of the team's hottest hitters, recording 2.36 kills per set on a .244 hitting clip.

SCOUTING REPORT
(6) Baptist Bible (Mo.)

• Record: 10-18
• Last Match: Lost at (1) Mid-America Christian – 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-13, 25-9) – Nov. 15, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center (NCCAA Central Region Semifinal)
• Series vs MACU (2003-): MACU leads 8-2
• Last Match vs. MACU: MACU won 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-13, 25-9) – Nov. 15, 2023 – Gaulke Activity Center (NCCAA Central Region Semifinal)
• Series Streak: MACU won 8
• Players to Watch:
  • Summer Kenney – FR – OH
    • 322 Kills (3.22 K/S), .204 ATK%, 150 Digs (1.50 D/S)
  • Madelyn Elsten – FR – S
    • 515 Assists (5.20 A/S), 188 Digs (1.90 D/S)
  • Rylea King – FR – DS/L
    • 480 Digs (4.80 D/S), .904 RCV%
  • Sarah Purcell – SO – MB
    • 52 Blocks (0.52 B/S), 167 Kills (1.67 K/S), .170 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Baptist Bible received an at-large bid to the NCCAA National Championships after receiving an at-large berth with a 10-18 overall record.
  • The Patriots are competing in their first NCCAA national tournament since moving up to the Division I level in 2021. Their last appearance coming back in 2001, the same season the Evangels won the NCCAA Division II National Championship.
  • BBC is led by NCCAA All-Central Region Second Team freshman outside hitter Summer Kenney, who has tallied 322 kills, averaging 3.22 kills per set on a .204 attack percentage.
  • Since the 2004 season, Mid-America Christian has won the last eight meetings against Baptist Bible while taking a 3-1 victory against Baptist Bible inside the Gaulke Activity Center in the Central Region Semifinal on Nov. 15.

(7) Regent (Va.)

• Record: 14-10
• Last Match: Won at (1) Carolina (N.C.) – 3-1 (25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 25-18) – Nov. 10, 2023 – Winston-Salen, N.C. (NCCAA South Region Championship)
• Series vs MACU: First Meeting
• Last Match vs MACU: N/A
• Series Streak: N/A
• Players to Watch:
  • Nicole Walston – SO – OH
    • 336 Kills (4.36 K/S), .240 ATK%, 25 Aces (0.32 SA/S), 165 Digs (2.14 D/S)
  • Ella Simone – FR – S
    • 392 Assists (5.09 A/S), 33 Aces (0.43 SA/S), 180 Digs (2.34 D/S)
  • Mikayla Daniels – SO – DS
    • 278 Digs (3.61 D/S), .914 RCV%, 39 Aces (0.51 SA/S)
  • Jordan Banister – JR – MB
    • 51 Blocks (0.72 B/S), 133 Kills (1.87 K/S), .194 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Regent is making its first ever appearance in the NCCAA National Championships with a 14-10 overall record after winning the NCCAA South Region Championship match by a score of 3-1 at top-seeded Carolina (N.C.) on Nov. 10.
  • In her fourth season as the head coach at Regent, NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year Katelyn Totherow helped lead her squad to 14 wins entering the tournament, nearly tripling the Royals' win output from a season ago.
  • The Royals are led in the attack by the South Region Player of the Year in sophomore outside hitter Nicole Walston. This season, Walston has recorded 336 kills on a stellar 4.36 per set average on a highly efficient .240 attack percentage.
  • Mid-America Christian and Regent will be playing each other for the first time in the two programs' respective histories.

(2) Grace (Ind.)

• Record: 19-11
• Last Match: Lost at No. 17 Bethel (Ind.) – 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17) – Nov. 4, 2023 – Mishawaka, Ind. (Crossroads League Quarterfinals)
• Series vs MACU (2021-): Grace leads 1-0
• Last Match vs. MACU: Grace won 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23) – Nov. 19, 2020 – St. Paul, Minn. (NCCAA National Championships)
• Players to Watch:
  • Alisha Leffring – JR – MB
    • 260 Kills (2.34 K/S), .270 ATK%, 114 Blocks (1.03 B/S)
  • Riley Owens – JR – S
    • 556 Assists (5.01 A/S), 208 Digs (1.87 D/S)
  • Jadyn Ross – JR – OH
    • 337 Digs (3.04 D/S), .944 RCV%, 53 Blocks (0.48 B/S), 258 Kills (2.32 K/S), .086 ATK%
  • Livia Tate – SO – MB
    • 104 Blocks (0.95 B/S), 126 Kills (1.16 K/S), .124 ATK%
• Team Notes:
  • Receiving an automatic berth from the Midwest Region, Grace enters the NCCAA national tourney as the No. 2 seed, compiling a 19-11 record while competing in the very strong Crossroads League.
  • Competing in their 13^th NCCAA National Championship Tournament since 1994, the Lancers qualified for the first time since 2020.
  • GC features a very balanced offensive attack with seven players averaging a kill or more per set, junior middle blocker Alisha Leffring leads the Lancers both in the attack with 260 kills (2.34 per set) on a .270 attack percentage while also leading the blocking efforts with 114 on a 1.03 per set average.
  • Mid-America Christian and Grace will be facing each other for just the second time in the two programs' histories with their last meeting also coming in the NCCAA National Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota on Nov. 19, 2020. In that match, the Evangels got off to a strong start by taking the opening set 25-20, but ended up falling in the next three 25-22, 25-19, 25-23. Hanna Foecker led MACU with 21 kills on a .310 attack percentage, but the Evangels struggled to find any offense elsewhere as MACU recorded just 19 kills on a -.029 hitting clip.