Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
EAST PEORIA, IL -- In the semifinal round of the 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament, West No. 2 seed Truman State University and East No. 2 seed McKendree University both turned in upsets to advance to tomorrow’s Championship match set for Sunday, Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. Central Time, and is being held in East Peoria, Ill., at the EastSide Centre.
In the first semifinal, Truman traded sets with East No. 1 Lewis University, winning the opening set 25-23. Lewis answered with a 25-22 win before the intermission to bring the score even at 1-1. The Bulldogs then came out of the break with another 25-23 win, which the 15th-ranked Flyers turned around for a 25-18 fourth-set victory. In the last set, Truman was able to take the match win with a 15-11 score. Kayla Bastian led the way with a double-double thanks to 19 kills and 15 digs. The win avenged a 3-0 loss to then-No. 18 Lewis on Nov. 4 in Romeoville, Ill., and are now searching for its second GLVC title, as the first came in 2014 when the Bulldogs were the No. 1 seed in the West.
McKendree faced off with No. 1 West Rockhurst University in the second semifinal match and came out swinging. The Bearcats handed the 21st-ranked Hawks their first shutout of the season, as all five of Rockhurst's losses in 2016 were in five sets. McKendree opened with identical 25-23 wins before the break, and then came out even better in the third and final set, earning a 25-17 win. The Bearcats were paced by Arela Williams and Allison Schneider who combined for 43 kills on 83 attacks. Williams put down 22 to go with 11 digs, while Schneider tallied 21 to pair with 15 digs. McKendree will be making its second appearance in the championship match.
Tomorrow’s match will be the second meeting between Truman and McKendree in the postseason’s main event, as the Bulldogs won their first league crown against the Bearcats in 2014. The match can be seen live and free of charge on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) at
GLVCSN.com.
Additional information is available on the tournament Web site at GLVCsports.com/2016Volleyball.