Lindsey Wilson Athletics – Volleyball Ready For NAIA Opening Round Matchup Against Ottawa

Video | Stats | Game Notes 

COLUMBIA, Ky. – The No. 23-ranked Lindsey Wilson volleyball team are set to continue post-season play this weekend when they travel to take on Ottawa (Kan.) in an NAIA Women’s Volleyball Championship Opening Round match. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT from Ottawa, Kansas in Wilson Field House.

The Blue Raiders (24-5, 13-3 MSC) enter the match after defeating No. 10-ranked and overall seed Life (Ga.) in a 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-21, 25-23) Saturday evening to win their seventh straight Mid-South Conference tournament and ninth overall. The Blue Raiders hit a .402 in the match as Johanna Alcantara led the way offensively with 15 kills. Camryn Rich had 36 assists in the match while Abby Grubbs had nine digs in the match.

This season Lindsey Wilson is hitting .288 – the fifth-best mark in the NAIA – while Radaisy Valdez continues to lead the NAIA in hitting percentage at .471. Alcantara continues to lead the Blue Raiders in kills per set averaging 3.73 while Rich leads the team in assists per set averaging 10.56. Defensively, Lauren Larzelere leads the team in digs per set averaging 4.26.

(RV) Ottawa enters the game after claiming the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament with a 3-2 victory over McPherson (Kan.) in the championship match. The Braves were led by Ayona Tharps who knocked down 18 kills in the game while Kaitlyn Haller had 37 assists in the match. Defensively, Emily Jackson led the way with 32 digs in the game.

This season the Braves are hitting .218 while averaging 13.38 kills per set. The team also averages 18.61 digs per set, the 14th best average in the nation. Tharps leads the side in kills per set averaging 3.33 while Haller leads the team in assists per set averaging 7.27. On defense, Jackson leads the side averaging 4.94 per game.

This will be the third all-time meeting between these two programs with the Blue Raiders winning the previous match against the Braves in straight sets on October 18, 2019. The Blue Raiders are 2-0 all-time against the Braves and are undefeated at neutral venues against the Kansas-based program.

First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT from Ottawa, Kansas. Live Video will be available and is free to the public. Live stats will also be available.