Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Back in action for the second time in as many days, No. 17-seeded Midland University took on No. 9-seeded University of the Cumberlands on Thursday at the Tyson Events Center. The Patriots won in straight sets to stay unbeaten this season, ending Midland’s year after the Warriors reached the NAIA Women’s Volleyball Championship final site for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
Cumberlands seized control of the opening set early with four straight points. After trading points over the next several rallies, the Patriots added another 4-0 run to go up 14-6. Midland pieced together an extended rally of its own to pull within four, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome as Cumberlands took the set, 25-15, while hitting .400 with 15 kills. The Warriors hit .176 with 11 kills.
In the second set, Midland found an early rhythm and jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Cumberlands responded by steadily chipping away until pulling even at 13-13. After trading points, the Patriots took their first lead at 17-16. Midland evened the score three more times before Cumberlands reached set point at 24-21. The Warriors won back-to-back points but couldn’t extend the set, falling 25-23. The Patriots hit .275 with 16 kills, while Midland posted a .162 mark with 13 kills.
The teams traded points early in the third set with five ties through 11-11. Cumberlands broke the deadlock with two straight points and built a 19-14 lead, prompting Midland’s second timeout. After the break, the Warriors couldn’t generate momentum as the Patriots closed the set on a 6-3 run to secure a 25-17 win and complete the sweep. Cumberlands hit .275 with 15 kills; Midland managed just nine kills while hitting .086.
“It was the same outcome as yesterday, but I think the difference was today we fought,” head coach Micah Rhodes said. “We showed more intensity, grittiness, and relentlessness — the things I wanted to see from them. I do think our youth was exposed with too many errors, too many stretches of errors in a row. Against a good team, you can’t do that. You can’t give them free points. You have to make them earn everything.
“We didn’t serve or pass great, which is something we’ll have to work really hard on. Offensively, I think we’re really good, but we don’t get to use our offense as much when we’re constantly off the net. There’s a lot to work on moving forward, but I’m proud of this group. I don’t think a lot of people thought we’d make it this far. I did the math, and we’re the youngest team here out of all 24 teams. That should give the returning players a lot of motivation.”
When asked about the program’s departing seniors — Cameran Jansky, Addy Mosier, Abby Spidle, and Lauren Williams — Rhodes added: “Aside from anything volleyball-related, they’re just great young women who represent this program really well. For them to buy into our system, which is different than Coach Giesselmann’s, means a lot. I have a lot of appreciation for them.”
Brooklynn Snyder and Avery Couch led the Warriors with eight and seven kills, respectively. Lauren Williams and Macey Jackson each added four.
Setters Jaysa Wentzlaff and Brena Mackling guided Midland to a .142 hitting percentage. Wentzlaff recorded a team-high 14 assists with five digs, while Mackling finished with 11 assists and six digs.
In the back row, Claire Johnson led the defense with 16 digs, and Abree Plueger added seven. At the net, Midland finished with three total blocks. Cameran Jansky had a hand in two of them, tallying one solo block and one block assist.
“It was an up-and-down season for us,” Rhodes said. “There were a lot of growing pains and a lot of adversity, and we learned and grew from it. I’m excited for the future. We have a really good 2026 class, and our freshmen showed that they’re gritty competitors. We’ve got a good group coming in as well. I’m excited to get back in the gym and work on some things.”
Midland ends the season at 19-12. The Warriors finished third in the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season standings and reached the conference tournament semifinals in Rhodes’ first year leading the program. With a young core returning, the future looks bright for 2026.
