MARION, Ind. — Indiana Wesleyan Women's Volleyball swept Spring Arbor  in straight sets, 25-23, 25-16, 25-16, during the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals in Luckey Arena Wednesday night. The red and grey recorded 44 kills and 69 digs to advance to the tournament final, where they will face 2-seed Mount Vernon Nazarene in the Crossroads League Championship game.
 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Location: Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Ind.
• Records: IWU - 26-4, 17-1  | SAU - 23-10, 9-9
• NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #8 | SAU - RV

SET ONE

• The Wildcats took an early lead at 11-6 with a sequence of effective kills from Marissa Mullins and Shae Williams, prompting a timeout from the Cougars.  
• SAU responded with a 4-0 run to narrow the gap to 11-10, capitalizing on IWU's attack errors.  
• The set remained tightly contested with ties at 18-18 and 22-22, highlighted by a series of blocks and kills from both teams.     
• IWU clinched the set with two consecutive kills from Mullins and Eva Joldersma, securing a 25-23 victory. 

 

SET TWO 

• The Wildcats took an early lead, aided by two attack errors from the visiting team, moving the score to 9-8 in their favor.  
• The Cougars briefly held momentum with a 4-0 run, featuring a service ace, pushing them ahead 12-10.  
• IWU regained control after a timeout at 13-11, launching a 5-0 run capped by a kill from Mullins to lead 16-13.
• Indiana Wesleyan closed the set on a strong 6-2 stretch, with Williams contributing two kills, securing a 25-16 set win.

 

SET THREE 

• IWU took an early lead at 4-2 following a block by Jessica Ickes and Williams.   
• A service ace by Dayessi Luis extended the lead to 11-7, sparking a 5-0 run that forced SAU to call a timeout. 
• Following the timeout, the Wildcats capitalized on multiple attack errors by the Cougars, increasing their advantage to 14-7.  
• Williams closed the set with three consecutive kills, bringing Indiana Wesleyan to a 25-16 victory.

KEY WILDCATS 

• Abbigail Porter - 40 assists, 15 digs
• Shae Williams -  12 kills, 2 blocks
• Marissa Mullins - 16 kills, .600 hitting percentage
• Cadee Notter - 16 digs

 

LOOKING AHEAD

• The Wildcats will host No. 12 MVNU on Saturday at 3:00 PM for the Crossroads League Championship.
• Links for tickets, live stats, and video can be found at IWUWildcats.com.

 

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

• Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Follow Volleyball (@IWUVball): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Read Full Article