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VB: Warriors’ Season Comes to a Close in the National Semifinals

vbvsjamestown_naia

Courtesy of Midland Athletics 

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It was a matchup of high-caliber and highly-ranked teams on Monday night as No. 3-ranked Midland University took on No. 2-ranked University of Jamestown in the NAIA National Tournament. With a spot in the national championship on the line, the two teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference played an instant classic inside the Tyson Events Center. The Warriors fell to the Jimmies in five sets (24-26, 25-15, 10-25, 25-18, 12-15) and finished their season 28-6.

As expected, the two teams went back and forth early in the first set. There were six ties through the first dozen points before Jamestown went on a four-point run to go up 10-6. Midland didn’t give in as they continued to battle like they had all season.

The Warriors used a 7-3 run to tie the set at 16-16 and then took a 19-17 lead following a kill from Addisyn Mosier, forcing a Jimmies’ timeout.

Following the short break, the teams went back at it. There were five more ties up to 24-24 before back-to-back kills by the Jimmies gave them the set one win. In the set, Mosier and Abbey Ringler led the way with four kills each as Midland.

After a few adjustments during the set break, the Warriors responded with a 10-4 start to set two. Their defensive play at the net neutralized the Jimmies’ attack, limiting them to a match-low .091 hitting percentage.

Midland led wire-to-wire, with Jamestown only pulling even once at 2-2. The largest lead came at the conclusion of the set as the Warriors closed on a 4-1 run. Mosier had five kills in the set while Ringler had three to go along with a pair of block assists.

As good as they played in the second, things were nearly the complete opposite in the third. Jamestown had Midland’s number as they limited the Warriors to just three kills in the set to go with 12 errors on the attack.

It took a while for Midland to regroup after the third as Jamestown jumped out in front 6-2 in the fourth. A quick 5-1 run with kills from Ringler, Mosier, and Jessie Moss got them back in it. Five more ties up to 12-12 ensued.

Consecutive points for the Warriors put them up 14-12, and despite several changes to the Jimmies’ lineup, they were unable to sustain a run to get back into the set. Midland closed out set four, evening the match, with a four-point run sparked by a pair of kills by Moss.

With the spot in the title match on the line, Jamestown surged out to a 3-0 lead. Midland battled back and pulled even at 4-4 with kills coming from Mosier, Ringler, and Moss once more.

Taliyah Flores was finally able to break through with the set knotted at 7-7. She connected on back-to-back kills putting the Warriors up at the midway point and forcing a time from the Jimmies.

Out of the huddle, Jamestown clawed their way back into the lead with a 5-2 run. That prompted the Midland bench to use a timeout, down 12-11. After trading points, the Warriors used their second timeout, looking to draw up a plan of attack. They would get a block out of the stoppage but that proved to be the final point as Jamestown closed the match with three straight points.

The trio of Abbey RinglerAddisyn Mosier, and Jessie Moss led the offensive attack for Midland as Jamestown held veteran All-American Taliyah Flores in check. Ringler finished the night with 15 kills while Mosier and Moss had 13 and 10, respectively.

Hope Leimbach had 47 set assists while directing the Warriors’ attack. As a team, they hit .117 while limiting the Jimmies to .166.

Delanie Vallinch had a stellar night in the defensive back row with a season-high 29 digs. Four others had double-digit digs as Midland had 93 digs at a team on the night. Veterans Flores and Leimbach had 15 and 14, while Kailyn Scott dug up 11 attacks and Saige Craven had 10.

At the net, the Warriors had 11 blocks as a team. Lauryn Samuelson had a hand on seven of them with a pair of solo stops. Flores finished with four assists and Ringler had three assists and a solo block.

“I can’t even describe how proud I am of our team. From where we started this journey back in August, to playing for a spot in the national championship, I couldn’t be prouder of this group of young women,” said head coach Paul Giesselmann. “We used more lineup changes this year than in any year that I’ve been here at Midland. Due to minor injuries, major injuries, illnesses, and competition. One or two bounces go our way tonight, we’re playing for a national title on Tuesday. I’m so proud of what the kids did tonight and this season.”

Midland will likely see several individual accolades in the coming week, a by-product of a successful season as a team. They finish the year with 28 wins, tied for the seventh-most in a single season.

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