SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Last year’s national champion No. 17 Columbia (Mo.) opened defense of their title on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan University at the 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa. IWU will look to even their Pool A record on Wednesday as they battle IU Kokomo.

MATCH VITALS

• 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship - Pool A
• Score:  Indiana Wesleyan - 0   |   Columbia - 3
  • Set 1:  CC 25-14
  • Set 2:  CC 25-17
  • Set 3:  CC 25-22 
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan 34-3   |   Columbia 27-11
• Pool A Records:  Indiana Wesleyan 0-1   |   Columbia 1-0
• NAIA Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan - No. 16   |   Columbia - No. 17
• Location:   Tyson Events Center   |   Sioux City, Iowa 
  
   

STAT TRACKER

• Emily Workman:  14 assists, 5 digs
• Ashlen Buck:  12 digs
• Remy Bucknor:  4 digs, 1 solo block, 3 block assists
• Sarah Collicott:  6 kills, 1 block assist
• Katie Elson:  13 assists, 2 aces
• Banner Rodgers:  11 digs
• Bianca Cifaldi:  6 kills, 3 block assists
  
   

MATCH MOMENTS

• Indiana Wesleyan finished with 31 kills and a .055 attack percentage. Both are the second lowest totals of the season.
• Columbia tallied 45 kills and a .333 attack percentage.
• Columbia -- the 2015 national champions -- opened defense of their title with a 15-11 record. CC has since reverted to last season’s form and has won 12 consecutive matches to improve to 27-11.
• Columbia has the most tournament appearances in the field with 23 and the most national tournament wins with 88.
   

UP NEXT FOR VOLLEYBALL

• Indiana Wesleyan battles IU Kokomo on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET in the NAIA National Championship. It is the second match for both teams in Pool A and each team looks for their first victory. IUK lost 3-0 to No. 1-seed Westmont (Calif.).