MARION, Ind. – Indiana Wesleyan University volleyball advances to Sioux City, Iowa and the 2017 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship presented by Delta Hotels for the sixth time in program history. IWU dispatched IU Kokomo in three sets on Saturday in the NAIA Opening Round in front of a boisterous Luckey Arena crowd.

MATCH VITALS

• 2017 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship Opening Round
• Score:  Indiana Wesleyan - 3   |   IU Kokomo - 0
  • Set 1:  IWU 25-13
  • Set 2:  IWU 25-23
  • Set 3:  IWU 25-20   
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan 28-10   |   IU Kokomo 30-10
• NAIA Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan – Receiving votes   |   IU Kokomo – Not ranked
• Location:   Luckey Arena   |   Indiana Wesleyan University   |   Marion, Indiana 
   

STAT TRACKER

• Tay Thomas:  10 kills
• Kelly Miller:  8 kills, .348 attack percentage, 1 block assists
• Katie Cole:  19 assists, 7 digs
• Emily Workman:  15 assists, 9 digs
• Morgan Miller:  12 kills, .333 attack percentage1 solo block, 3 block assists
• Marci Miller:  7 kills, 1 block assist
• Banner Rodgers:  25 digs, 7 assists
   

MATCH MOMENTS

• Indiana Wesleyan advances to the 2017 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship presented by Delta Hotels. The final site is at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
• IWU dominated the first set 25-13. The Wildcats hit a scalding .379 in the set with 13 kills and just 2 errors.
• Indiana Wesleyan improves to 4-1 in NAIA Opening Round matches since its inception in 2008. IWU has won four consecutive Opening Round contests.
• The Wildcats improve to 9-11 all-time at the NAIA National Championship while IU Kokomo drops to 1-5. The lone IUK national tournament victory was last season at Ottawa (Kan.) in the Opening Round.

COACH MOATS SAYS…

• “I cannot say enough about our seniors and their leadership. They were focused from the start of the match to the end. So happy for them and all the hard work they put in to reach their goals. We are all grateful for this moment and for the opportunity that IWU is giving us. And I cannot forget the fans – wow! Thank you so much for your tremendous support.”

UP NEXT FOR VOLLEYBALL

• Indiana Wesleyan plays at the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa on November 28-December 2. IWU will be placed in one of eight pools that each contain four teams. The top two teams from each pool advance to a 16-team single elimination tournament. Pool pairings will be released by the NAIA national office on Sunday evening.