Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – On Saturday afternoon, No. 13 Midland University saw its season come to a close as it fell to No. 5 Viterbo University in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The teams played a tightly contested match inside the Tyson Events Center with the V-Hawks coming out on top in four sets (25-19, 19-25, 25-21, 25-21). The loss completes Midland’s season at 18-12 while Viterbo advances to the semifinals on Monday night.
SET ONE: Viterbo 25, Midland 19
The opening set saw the V-Hawks jump out to a 7-3 lead, forcing an early timeout from the Warriors’ sideline. After that, the teams played fairly even, with both sides forcing quick side-outs. Midland was only able to string together consecutive points a total of four times in the set while Viterbo had two quick three-point runs to start and then added a final one to close out the set, 25-19.
In the opener, the Warriors hit .114 with 11 kills and 7 errors on the attack. Meanwhile, the V-Hawks had a strong hitting percentage of .225 with 14 kills and just 5 errors. Jacki Apel and Jessie Moss each had three kills in the first to lead MU.
SET TWO: Midland 25, Viterbo 19
In the second, Viterbo took the early lead once again with a 5-2 start. Midland battled back with a three-point rally to tie the set at 12-12. Lauryn Samuelson, who was held in check in the first set, had two kills in that swing which sparked the Warriors.
After a few more ties, the last coming at 15-15, Midland went on a 5-0 run which burnt through both of Viterbo’s allotted timeouts. A three-point run by the V-Hawks pulled them close but the Warriors quickly any idea of a comeback to rest as they closed with a 5-1 run.
Cortlyn Schaefer and Jacki Apel each had four kills in the set as Midland hit a match-high .237 with 14 kills and 5 errors. They limited Viterbo to a match-low .044 hitting mark with 11 errors and 13 kills.
SET THREE: Viterbo 25, Midland 21
With the match tied as a set each, the third would go a long way toward determining the outcome. After exchanging early three-point runs, the Warriors were in front 6-5 and were starting to build some momentum. A timeout by the V-Hawks halted their run as the teams played with a few points of each other up to a 15-12 advantage for MU.
Viterbo found a way to limit Midland to just a point at a time while being able to string consecutive points as they regained the lead. Leading 22-19, they forced the Warriors into their final timeout and then closed out the second 25-21.
Midland was held to a match-low .089 on the attack while Viterbo was able to convert on .146 of their attacks. Samuelson picked up four kills in the set while Williams had three.
SET FOUR: Viterbo 25, Midland 21
After a few sustained rallies in the first three sets, the fourth saw each of the two sides trade runs. After a 5-0 run by Midland to start, Viterbo came back with a 7-1 run of its own. Tied as 7-7, the Warriors went on another run to take a commanding 13-9 advantage.
That forced the V-Hawks into their second timeout and they came out with renewed energy. An 8-2 run put them in front and after ties at 16, 17, and 18, they went on a five-point rally to seize control once more. Midland clawed back with three straight points but Viterbo matched it with three consecutive points of its own to win 25-21.
Both sides hit above 200 for the fourth with the V-Hawks going for a match-best .279 and the Warriors hitting .222. Samuelson added four kills in the set while Apel and Schaefer each tallied three.
For the match, Midland hit .166 on the attack with 52 kills and 25 errors on 163 attempts. Viterbo finished with a .170 hitting mark with 56 kills and 26 errors on 176 attempts. Defensively, the Warriors had 10 total blocks while the V-Hawks had 11.
Coordinating the attack for Midland were Brena Mackling and Brielle Power. Both setters finished the match with 22 assists while Delanie Vallinch added 6 from her libero position. Vallinch paced the team in digs with 27 while Kailyn Scott joined her with 13.
On the attack, Jacki Apel had a team-high 11 kills. Lauryn Samuelson had 10 kills to go along with 4 blocks in her final match as a Warrior. Abbey Ringler and Apel led the team with 5 blocks each.
“Tough loss today to a really good team,” said head coach Paul Giesselmann after the match. “I love how hard our players competed. It was a great run that our team put together. The goal for our program is to be playing our best in December, and this team certainly did that. I want to thank them for believing in the process and thank Lauryn Samuelson for everything she has meant to the program.”
Midland finished the year at 18-12 overall. The team’s trip to the national quarterfinals was the seventh in program history. They’ll return the majority of the team in 2024, with Samuelson the lone graduating senior. She finishes her career ranked in the top 10 in a pair of stat categories. She is 8th in solo blocks with 59 and 2nd in block assists with 366.
