ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Mount Union, ranked No. 10 in the nation, defeated eighth-seed Marietta 3-0 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament.
The Purple Raiders improve to 28-4 overall as Marietta's season comes to an end with a record of 12-18.
In the 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) of Marietta in the quarterfinals, the Raiders were led by junior Nicole Snyder who notched 12 kills and 14 digs. Senior Taylor Webb chipped in 13 kills as junior Lauren Mastroine tallied 17 digs.
Junior Sarah Schleich dished out 26 assists as junior Brittany Woodard recorded 10 assists.
No. 5 Elmhurst 3, Millikin 1
ELMHURST, Ill. -- Elmhurst captured its second consecutive CCIW championship by defeating Millikin in a four-set battle.
The Bluejays downed the Big Blue by a score of 27-25, 20-25,25-21, 25-22.
Elmhurst, ranked fifth in the latest coaches' poll, improved to 33-4 overall and finished the CCIW season a perfect 7-0 for the second consecutive season. The conference championship was the 11th earned by the Bluejays, including the eighth under head coach Julie Hall.
All four sets were close, with the Bluejays rallying past Millikin (26-10, 6-1 CCIW) in each set to take the match.
Elmhurst finished the contest hitting .252 (62-21-163) while Millikin hit .187 (60-26-182). Lauren Lorenz added 21 assists while Hannah Lessen totaled 18 digs. Dana Loncar added 15 digs for the Bluejays.
No. 7 St. Benedict (Minn.) 3, Hamline 0
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The Blazers punched their ticket to Thursday's semifinals and earned a chance to revenge one of their two MIAC losses during the regular season with Tuesday's 3-0 win against Hamline in front of their home fans. Saint Benedict won the first two sets by identical 25-19 scores, then closed out the quarterfinal win 25-16 in set three.
Saint Benedict earned the victory with a balanced offensive attack. Seven different Blazers registered kills Tuesday, and five players had 12 or more digs. Lexi Rinde's 10 kills without an error (.357 hitting percentage) led the way, while Lexi Alm added eight kills and 13 digs. Taya Kockelman dished out 28 assists and added 14 digs and four total blocks and Victoria Nass had a team-high 18 digs. Sophie Stangle had a six-kill, 13-dig performance, Mary Franz contributed eight blocks and six kills and Chelsea Rachel added 17 digs as the Blazers got contributions up and down the lineup.
Hamline had some impressive numbers in defeat, as its resurgent season came to an end. The Pipers were led by a 27-assist, 16-dig performance by setter Molly Hurrle, and Lynsey Reimer was great on defense with a match-high 25 digs. Caitlyn Gottwald led Hamline with eight kills and Miquel Green had 18 digs.
