STERLING, Kan.  – The MACU Volleyball team will be making its way back to the NCCAA National Championships for the seventh-straight year as the Evangels defensively dominated Sterling to sweep the Warriors in straight sets to secure the NCCAA Central Region title.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 3, Sterling 0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-23)
  • Mid-America Christian (19-12)
  • Sterling (17-13)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Seyi Atolagbe – 14 Kills, .520 ATK%, 3 Blocks
• Madi Trayler – 9 Kills, .412 ATK%
• Madison Lee – 22 Digs, 15 Assists
• Casady McKinney – 15 Assists, 9 Digs, 6 Kills
• Ryley Bowden – 16 Digs, 6 Assists

MATCH SUMMARY

• Set One
  • Mid-America Christian and Sterling went back-and-forth through the first half but Sterling utilized a 4-0 run midway through to seize a 14-11 lead, forcing MACU head coach Holly McKamie to call a timeout.
  • Sterling maintained a lead through the next six rallies before the Evangels before a Seyi Atolagbe kill ignited a 6-1 MACU run before she powered down a termination to make it a 20-18 Evangels lead, prompting a Warriors timeout.
  • Atolagbe continued to swing a hot hand with a termination out of the timeout before a Sterling block and a Dru Lindsey service ace closed it to one. However, MACU countered with Obusekova coming up with a back row kill following a SC attack error to make it 23-20, forcing the Warriors to call their final timeout.
  • While Sterling got the side-out, MACU finished strong as Mia Benson scored a kill down the right side to bring it to set point before Casady McKinney perfectly executed a setter dump kill to seal the 25-21 win.
• Set Two
  • The Evangels opened the set strong by scoring seven of the first nine points as an Atolagbe kill and Aliya McClanahan attack error made it a 7-2 MACU advantage.
  • The Warriors utilized a 4-1 near the midway point to close it to a 10-8 game, prompting Coach McKamie to call a timeout.
  • Neither side was able to put together a big run over the next 18 rallies as the Evangels maintained at least a two-point cushion until the very end. With the Evangels leading 19-17, three-straight MACU kills from Madi Trayler, McKinney, and Atolagbe ignited a 6-0 run to close it as Atolagbe powered down the set point kill to seal the 25-17 result.
• Set Three
  • While MACU started off well by scoring five of the first seven, Sterling seized control heading into the midway point as the Warriors went on a 9-2 run capped off on a Keala Wilson kill to make it a 12-7 Sterling lead.
  • After trading the next two rallies, a Marcela Nalin termination fired up a dominant 9-2 Evangels streak as another Atolagbe kill and Sterling attack error gave MACU the 17-15 advantage.
  • Following another pair of side-outs, Sterling battled back in-front with a 5-1 surge to retake a 21-19 edge on another Wilson termination.
  • With both teams trading the next two, Mid-America Christian closed out the contest strong once again as Trayler both started and finished the 5-1 run to close out the match with a pair of kills to wrap-up the 25-23 victory.

MATCH NOTES

• Both teams struggled to get their attacks going as Mid-America Christian posted 44 kills and 22 errors for a .159 hitting percentage, however, MACU's back row defense as simply outstanding, limiting Sterling to only 31 kills and 25 errors for a .046 hitting percentage.
• Mid-America Christian struggled to score from the service line as Casady McKinney notched MACU's only ace, however, the Evangels only missed on two serves while the Warriors notched only four aces against MACU's back row.
• Freshman middle blocker Seyi Atolagbe continued her torrid pace in the attack, finishing with a match-high 14 kills on a .520 hitting percentage and helped spearhead the MACU defense with three assisted blocks.
• Madi Trayler also provided a strong spark for MACU on the right side, powering down nine kills on a .412 hitting clip.
• Madison Lee put together an incredible match for the Evangels, recording a three-set career-high 22 digs and also joined McKinney with 15 assists. Meanwhile, McKinney finished with nine digs and six kills in the attack.
• Ryley Bowden also put together a strong match in the back row, shoveling 16 digs for a 5.33 per set average.
• Overall, MACU's defense shut down the NCCAA Central Region Player of the Year in Aliya McClanahan as she notched only nine kills with six errors for a .094 hitting percentage.
• The Evangels snapped a two-game losing streak to Sterling with the win while MACU captured its third NCCAA Central Region title in the last five years with the last coming inside the Gaulke Activity Center in 2023.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will now prepare to make the return trip to Point Lookout, Mo. for the NCCAA National Championships that will take place from Dec. 3-6 inside Keeter Gymnasium.