SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The Madonna University volleyball team made some good runs, but didn't make enough to take down No. 10 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) in the second game of Pool G at the 40th Annual NAIA National Championship Presented by Delta Hotels at the Tyson Events Center on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Crusaders played well in spurts and had an opportunity to force a fourth set on day two at the national tournament, but some miscues at key times led to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 26-24) sweep at the hands of the Blue Raiders.

"We just couldn't finish today," said Head Coach Jerry Abraham. "We were close and played good in spurts, but that was the issue. We played up and down all day and you can't do that against teams at this level. We had chances to pull away, but we didn't serve tough enough in key situations and we were a little off on our serve receive passing."

Jodie Kelly led the offense with 15 kills while Erica LaBaere added 10 and hit a team-best .526. DJ Sargent also played well in the middle with seven kills, a .333 attack percentage, and a team-high four blocks. Betsy Cook dished out 38 assists and Olivia Sweeney led MU with 15 digs while Kelly added 11 and Ryleigh Jacobs added 10.

In set one, LaBaere tallied the first point for MU and tied the score at 1 and a pair of LWC errors gave MU the advantage, but the Blue Raiders followed with seven straight points and 12-of-14 to push the lead to eight, 13-5. Lindsey Wilson was the first to set point, 24-15, but the Crusaders rallied thanks to kills from LaBaere and Tauri Hintz, but the Blue Raiders eventually ended MU's 4-0 run for the 25-19 win.

Madonna again led early in set two as Kelly and DJ Sargent tallied kills and Sweeney delivered a service ace for the 3-1 advantage. The teams traded the lead for the next several points until LWC won four straight for the 14-10 lead. Madonna cut the deficit to one several times, including a 3-0 rally to make it 23-22. LaBaere and a pair of Sargent kills kept MU in the set, but the Blue Raiders won the final two points for the 25-22 win.

Needing a win to keep their championship hopes alive, the Blue and Gold again got off to a fast start, 4-1. After trading 3-point runs and side-outs, the Blue Raiders won three straight again for an 11-8 margin. A Hintz kill, four LWC miscues and kills from Kelly (2) and Sargent gave MU the 16-13 lead. The teams traded side-outs to get to 22-19, but Lindsey Wilson won the next our points and 7-of-8 to seal the match with a 26-25 win.

"We hung in there and had a chance to win game three, but we didn't finish. Lindsey is a good team, they are big and presented some problems for us. Their middle is tough and played like it today. We didn't block as well as we did yesterday and they kept us off guard and we just lacked some of the consistent confidence and intensity that we had yesterday," added Abraham. 

Kasia Niderla led the Blue Raiders with 18 kills and hit .325. The difference in the contest came at the service line as Madonna made eight service errors to three for the Blue Raiders. 

UP NEXT

• The Blue and Gold will wrap up their 18th trip to the NAIA National Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 5 as they face Reinhardt University (Ga.) at 11 a.m. EST. 
• The top two teams from each pool will advance to the bracket round on Friday.
• Fans can view the game for free in the Take 5 Lounge on the campus of Madonna University. 
• The NAIA Network – the association's official video-streaming home – will broadcast all matches excluding the semifinals and championship matches live at the 2019 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while a pool play pass is $24.95 (Dec. 3-5) and a championship package is available at $39.95. You can also buy an All-Championship pass and watch every championship streamed on the NAIA Network in 2019.

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