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OPENING ROUND PREVIEW: @MUCrusadersVB hosts Titans for rematch

11/22/2019 6:00:00 AM

By: Zachary Shore
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • WHO: Madonna University (24-12), Indiana University South Bend (22-13)
  • WHAT: NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round
  • WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 23 @ 12 p.m.
  • WHERE: MU Activities Center - Livonia, Mich.
  • COST: $8 for adults, $5 for students - first 50 MU students with ID will get in free courtesy of Madonna Student Senate
  • HOW TO WATCH: Live stats and video available at www.mucrusaders.com/live via the Madonna Athletics Network
  • WHAT'S AT STAKE: The winner will advance to the National Championship final site, the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa for pool play which begins on Tuesday, Dec. 3
THE MATCHUP
  • The teams have met four times with Madonna winning all four matches, having lost just one set
  • Madonna bested the Titans earlier this season in the Julie Martin Memorial Classic, 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-20)
  • Erica LaBaere hit an impressive .474 and tied Jodie Kelly with a match-high 11 kills while Kelly added 14 digs
  • Olivia Sweeney added 19 digs, LaBaere paced the defense with three blocks and Tauri Hintz added 10 digs while Betsy Cook had 35 assists
  • MU outhit IUSB .229 to .157 while Hannah Marchand paced the Titans with 10 kills
HISTORY
  • Madonna is making their 18th appearance in the National Tournament and is hosting an opening round for the fourth time, all at home
  • MU is 3-0 in their previous three opening-round contest having won 9-of-11 sets
  • The Blue and Gold are 35-37 in that national tournament with a pair of third-place finishes
  • This is the second-ever appearance for the Titans who qualified for the first time in 2016 and lost in the opening round
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
  • No Crusader has ever played in an opening round, however, four members of the 2019 postseason roster, Ryleigh Jacobs, Ryan Castle, Kelly and Luisa Wiewgorra, each appeared in the pool play of the 2017 NAIA National Championships
  • No player on the IU-South Bend roster has played in the national tournament
  • The Titans are led by Marchand, a transfer from Jacksonville University (Fla.), who was named Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year. Setter McKenzie Powell was a first-team honoree while Samantha Hockstra and Julie Brown took second-team honors and all are key pieces for the Titans
JERRY'S WORLD
  • "We are going to lean heavily on Jodie and Erica, especially in this game. If we are going to be successful they must lead the way. They are both playing at their best right now. We've relied on them all season as we are sometimes playing four freshmen around them. We need to establish the middle and when Erica is playing well, we are hard to beat." - Head Coach Jerry Abraham on the leadership and experience of Kelly and LaBaere
  • "We are a young team and this is a new experience for many of them, hopefully playing at home makes us more comfortable and can give us an edge. We enjoy being able to play in front of our great fans and I know both teams are looking forward to the banquet tomorrow night." - Abraham on home court advantage
  • "They are a well coached team, they play sound defense and really run a style similar to ours. They have some really talented players and nearly won their conference tournament. It will be a fun, emotional match, but I feel we are prepared and I like our chances." - Abraham on the Titans
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