MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- The Bethel Pilots play in the NCCAA National Tournament for the first time since 2021 where the Pilots went 1-2 in Pool A with a sweep of Warner (Fla.), loss 3-1 to Judson (Ill.) and was swept by Mid-America Christian (Okla.) after losing to #22 Dordt in the NAIA Opening Round.

The Pilots won the NCCAA National Tournament in 2020, with Maddy Payne being the only one left on the roster from that Championship team, with sweeps over Campbellsville (Ky.), Grace (Ind.), and MidAmerica Christian for the first three matches. Bethel won a four-set bout with Dallas Baptist, then won the NCCAA Championship over Northwestern College in a five-set match.

Bethel's overall record going into the tournament is 19-16, and ended the Crossroads League season 8-10 and was knocked out of the Crossroads League Tournament by the Grace Lancers 3-1 in the Quarterfinal, then beat Judson in the NCCAA North-Central Region Championship in the Gates Gymnasium 3-0.


SCOUTING MIDAMERICA CHRISTIAN

The only team the Pilots have not faced this season that is in Pool A is the MidAmerica Christian Evangels who is 20-12 this season with a 15-7 record in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) and was swept by Oklahoma City in the SAC Quarterfinal.

The Evangels defeated Mission (Mo.) 3-1 in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament Semi-Final before losing to the College of the Ozarks 3-2, but got an at-large bid to the NCCAA National Tournament.

The main target for the Evangels attack is Miriam Nardi, who leads the MACU attack with 2.8 kills per set, hitting at a .262 clip and approx. three points-per-set. Alica Obusekova is next in line with 2.3 kills-per-set, and Lena Stockhammer at 2.1 kills-per-set.

The defensive effort has been fairly spread out, with Defensive Specialist Ryley Bowden leading the team in digs per set at 4.5 and Obusekova at 3.1. Sydney Martin averages 2.6 per set, Madison Lee at 2.4, and Casady McKinney at 2.4.

The last NCCAA National Championship the Evangels won was in the NCCAA Division II Championship in 2001, and they won the 2021 NCCAA Central Regional Championship, where the Evangels would defeat Bethel in their final match of Pool A and eventually fall to Columbia International to be named the 2021 NCCAA National Championship runner-up.


SCOUTING COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL

The Pilots have been a familiar post-season foe for the Rams, with former Pilots Women's Volleyball head coach Katie Weiss facing her former team for the second consecutive season, once in the NAIA Opening Round in 2023 and faced the Rams at the Helm of the Pilots in 2022.

CIU is an impressive 32-3 on the season, with their latest match being a 3-1 loss to the Marian Knights in the NAIA Opening Round in Indianapolis, Ind., on Nov. 23 before declaring for the NCCAA National Tournament as the highest seed in Pool A.

The Rams won the Appalachian Athletic Conference with sweeps over eighth-seeded Truett McConnell University and Johnson (Tenn.) before winning the AAC Tournament with a 3-1 final over Reinhardt.

CIU had two notable wins in the Vipers Sports Academy Classic over (RV) Indiana Tech and NAIA 11th-ranked Missouri Baptist 3-1 and 3-2 respectively, in the tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 15 and 16.

The Rams attack is led by former Pilot Hannah Weiss who averages 3.3 kills-per-set at a .263 hitting percentage and 3.6 points-per-set, along with Katie Camp, who averages three kills-per-set at a .293 clip. Hadassah Davis has been the third leading attacker with 2.8 kills-per-set but hitting at a .232 percentage.

Defensive Specialist Kelcey Mangum is averaging 5.7 digs-per-set, with Kamelia De Jesus next up at 2.6 and Lexabel Rojas at 2.3. Lydia Gustafson leads the team at the net with 1.2 blocks per set and 26 total solo blocks this season.


SCOUTING CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

The Bruins are 18-10 and 7-2 on neutral courts this season, with their largest winning streak being two matches. CU went 1-2 in Pool Play in the Continental Athletic Conference Tournament with a 3-1 win over Haskell Indian Nations University before falling to Florida College 3-0 and Florida National University 3-0.

In the NCCAA South Region Tournament, the Bruins defeated Regent University 3-1 in the semi-final, then swept Clinton College in the South Regional Final to advance to the NCCAA National Tournament at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.

The Bruin offense is led by Sion Murrain at 2.1 kills per set at a .229 hitting percentage with Kamra King following with 1.9 kills per set and a .205 hitting percentage. King also leads the team in assists with 4.7 per set with fellow setter Syvannah Poore at 3.3 assists per set.

This will be the first match in Bethel's program history against the Bruins.


HOW TO WATCH

Live Steam (NCCAA Network): https://www.nccaanetwork.com/
Live Stats: https://thenccaa.org/sidearmstats/wvball/summary

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