By: SARAH WHITEHEAD
Staff Writer/Videographer
@smwhitehead96
IU South Bend’s women’s volleyball team travelled to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. on Nov. 8 to play in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) quarterfinals.
Senior Sierra Conklin led the Titans with 13 kills along with 13 digs. Ashley McClintock followed behind with 10 kills and Morgan Fleming added seven kills. Janelle Rehlander had 26 digs and Jadalyn Tindall and Jenny Stahl both added seven digs.
For Olivet Nazarene, Mikinsey Prium led with nine kills. Leah Milam had six kills and Rachel Kirby added five kills. Alex Ewalt had 19 digs and Katie Tabisz followed with 12 digs. Katie Tabisz, Emma Ross, Jeslyn Roat, and Taylor Delbridge each had four kills. Emma Ross had nine digs and Taylor Tedrick added eight digs.
The Titans won all three sets in the game, 25-21, 25-22, and 25-21. The victory was sweet for the Titans not only because they lost to Olivet Nazarene earlier in the season, but because the win allowed them to advance to the semifinals.
For the Nov. 10 semifinals, the Titans took a trip to Chicago to play at Saint Xavier University.
Leading this game for the Titans was Sierra Conklin with 13 kills and 16 digs. Ashley McClintock had 11 kills and Morgan Fleming followed with eight kills. Janelle Rehlander had 26 digs and Jenny Stahl had 12 digs.
Rory Manion had eight kills and Sydney McPhillips added seven kills and Helena Atton had six kills. Mariana Ayala had 15 digs and Alex Lambros, Sara Wellbaum, and Courtney Joyce had three kills each, with Joyce also adding 10 digs.
The Titans again came back against a team that had defeated them just weeks before. They won all three sets, 25-19, 25-20, and 25-21.
This win was not just satisfying for the Titans, it was one for the books. This game advanced the Titans to the CCAC finals for the first time ever, where they faced the University of Saint Francis Fighting Saints on Saturday, Nov. 12. By advancing to the CCAC finals, the Titans also earned a spot in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament.
Unfortunately, the Titans fell short in the CCAC tournament. The Fighting Saints took the first two sets, 25-11 and 25-20, but the Titans came back in the third and fourth, 25-19 and 25-20. The Fighting Saints pulled forward in the final set, defeating the Titans 15-10.
Ashley McClintock and Sierra Conklin led the Titans again with 18 and 14 kills, respectively. Janelle Rehlander had 23 digs in this game and Sierra Conklin added 14 digs.
On Nov. 19, the Titans, who finished their regular season 18-21, will travel all the way to Montana to face off against Montana Tech, who finished their regular season 22-9. If IUSB’s Titans win their game against Montana Tech, they will have earned a chance to play in Sioux City, IA beginning Nov. 29.
