Friday and Saturday, 27 and 28 October, Calvary Warriors traveled to Manhattan Christian College for the Midwest Christian College Conference tournament. Warriors placed 3rd in the overall season which allowed them to play 6th place Barclay College for their first match. “We were able to win in three which is important when playing in a tournament kind of setting,” Head Coach Jojo Wilkes said. “We made too many errors at the service line which needs to be cleaned up as we move forward into regionals and tougher matches. Miriam McCubbin picked up a lot of tips and roll shots for us on defense. Jillian Nipple had a lot of good sets and distributed the ball effectively. It was nice for the girls to come off the bench and have success on the court. Overall, I’m happy to be moving forward and playing Faith to get to the Championship Game.” Jillian Nipple led the team with five aces in the match. Haley Arneson was effective in the front row for the Warriors with 8 kills and a block followed by Leah Grady with 7 kills and 3 blocks.
Calvary University vs. Barclay College Set 1: 25-18Set 2: 25-13Set 3: 25-14
The Warriors defeated the Barclay Bears which allowed them to move on and play the #2 seed Faith Baptist College. “Going into the game, we were super determined to win because of our previous losses against Faith during the season,” middle blocker Elle Davis said. “That pushed us to play harder than we have all season and be aggressive at the net. As a team, we hyped each other up, played as a unit, and fought hard in the back and front row. We were able to get into Faith’s head by putting up a strong block which forced them to tip balls when they would normally swing aggressively. We were able to keep up our momentum as we served aggressively for sets 4 and 5.” “Faith is a hard team to beat because they outwork their opponent,” Head Coach Jojo Wilkes said. “It felt really good to win against them and speaks loudly of the grit and fight that we had tonight. Kenleigh Elder had 23 kills and Leah Grady had 19 kills which played a huge role in why we were able to win. Our back row played incredible defense, along with serving and receiving passing dimes. When we went into the 5th set, we eliminated errors and came out with a win.” The front row was on fire with four players having over 10 kills each. Elle Davis and Leah Grady tied with 4 blocks each. The defense of Haley Arneson, Alli Edwards, Brooke Behlen, Miriam McCubbin, and Jillian Nipple allowed the Warriors to have multiple chances to score against the Eagles.
Calvary University vs. Faith Baptist College Set 1: 23-25Set 2: 25-17Set 3: 23-25Set 4: 25-19Set 5: 15-12
Saturday afternoon, the Warriors headed to the championship game to play the #1 seed Manhattan Christian College. It was a struggle for the team to gain momentum in the first set after having 7 service errors. “Calvary University is a strong serving team,” said a Calvary Warrior fan. “If the team capitalizes on their strengths early, they grow into the game. It’s hard to gain momentum when the ball is given back too quickly through missed serves.” The 2nd and 3rd set held similar struggles for the Warriors as they tried to gain momentum, but errors kept them out of the game. The Warrior defense should receive high honors for the tremendous digs from MCC high power hits. The team never quit fighting. The Calvary Warriors leave the Midwest Christian College Conference placing 2nd.
Calvary University vs. Manhattan Christian College
Set 1: 17-25
Set 2: 19-25
Set 3: 16-25