Volleyball Claims Third at Conference Tournament

The Faith women's volleyball team earned a third place finish in the 2015 Midwest Christian College Conference volleyball tournament this past weekend. Faith went 2-1 on the weekend, defeating Central Christian College of the Bible in the quarterfinals before falling to runner up Ozark Christian College on Friday. On Saturday Faith earned the third place plaque with a victory over Emmaus Bible College. The weekend puts Faith's overall record at 16-13. The Eagles have won six of their last seven games.

Faith's entered the tournament as the #3 seed and faced #6 CCCB in the quarterfinal. The Eagles dominated the match from start to finish, earning wins of 25-10, 25-15, and 25-11. A balanced attack saw Kimberly Post finish with 10 kills, while Emily Wolfe and Alyssa Larson each added eight. Emilie Morton finished with 26 assists and JoJo Hodak had 23 digs and Wolfe added 21.

The win placed the Eagles in the semi-final against #2 Ozark Christian College. In set one of the match, Ozark jumped out to a 7-1 lead, but Faith battled back, eventually tying the game. The set then remained close, with Faith earning two set points but failing to capitalize on either. Ozark took advantage as they were able to find three consecutive points to earn a 27-25 set one victory. Ozark took the momentum from set one into set two as the Eagles put up little resistance, falling 25-14. Faith found energy again in set three, fighting Ozark for every point but ultimately coming up short 23-25 to drop the match 0-3. Wolfe recorded 10 kills and 24 digs in the match, while Larson added nine kills of her own. Hodak finished with 23 digs and Morton handed out 26 assists.

The loss placed the Eagles in the third place contest, a rematch with Emmaus Bible College. The Eagles had split with Emmaus during the regular season, with the most recent contest a 3-0 sweep by Emmaus in Dubuque. Faith came out on fire in set's one and two, as timely hitting and a sense of desperation on each play saw the Eagles playing with energy and excitement. The result was two dominant wins, the first a 25-15 win and the second even stronger at 25-9. Faith looked like they had the match in hand, but a scrappy Emmaus team was the dominant one in set three, as Faith suffered several mistaked to fall 13-25. The Eagles re-gathered in set four, eventually leading 17-12. Emmaus refused to quit, battling back to eventually tie the game at 20 apiece. Emily Wolfe then stepped to the serving line for the Eagles and Emmaus would not see another opportunity to serve, as Wolfe and the Eagles earned five straight points to earn the set and match win 3-1. Kimberly Post had a dominate game, earning 15 kills in the match. Alyssa Larson and Wolfe each added seven of their own. JoJo Hodak finished with 31 digs, while Wolfe added 28 and Post added 17. Morton passed out 31 assists on the night.

Faith now turns their sights to the regional tournament next Friday, October 30 in Minneapolis, MN. Faith enters the tournament as the #3 seed and will face host North Central University in the semi-final at 4pm. A win would place Faith in the championship at 7pm.