The Malone University volleyball team will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday for an NAIA National Championship Opening Round match at noon against Indiana Tech. The Pioneers secured the first NAIA National Championship berth in Malone volleyball history after claiming the American Mideast Conference Postseason Tournament Title on Saturday with three-set victories over Walsh University and Mt. Vernon Nazarene University. Indiana Tech, meanwhile, locked up a national championship spot by winning the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Title. The Warriors were ranked 13th in the final NAIA National Poll and own a current overall record of 34-5.
Malone, now 32-7 overall, defeated Indiana Teach in the only meeting between the two squads during the regular season, a contest that lasted five sets on September 4th at Taylor (IN) University's Trojan Challenge. The winner of the contest will advance to the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, site of the 24-team NAIA National Tournament that will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 4.
Live audio of the match will be provided by Indiana Tech.
Click here to access the broadcast.
NAIA Volleyball National Championship Format: 36 teams qualified for NAIA National Championship play. The top 11 seeds and the host school, Briar Cliff (IA) University, received first-round byes. The remaining 24 teams will play single-elimination matches on Saturday, November 20th at NAIA campuses nationwide. The winners of the 12 opening round matches will then join the 12 teams that received first-round byes to take part in a pool-play tournament Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in Sioux City, Iowa.
For more information on the NAIA postseason, including a list of the 12 opening-round matchups, please visit the
NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round webpage.
Malone Notes: The Pioneers come into National Championship play having won eight of their last 10 matches…Senior outside hitters
Jennifer Gahagan and
Lori Gale have paced the Malone attack for much of the season as Gahagan has notched 3.56 kills and 2.58 digs per set while Gale has posted averages of 2.26 kills and 2.53 digs while also contributing 76 aces...The Pioneers' first-ever NAIA National Championship berth comes in their final year of NAIA postseason eligibility as Malone begins its transition to NCAA Division II membership.
Indiana Tech Notes: The Warriors bring an 11-match winning streak into Saturday's contest and lost just once at home all season…Outside hitter Ashley Hamilton has notched a team-best 3.34 kills per set to go with an average of 4.25 digs…fellow outside hitter Samantha Larson follows with 2.78 kills per frame…Indiana Tech is making its third straight NAIA Championship appearance.
Indiana Tech Athletics Website
