Madonna and Cornerstone end seasons in NAIA Women's Volleyball Opening Round

Both teams from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) saw their seasons end in the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round. Madonna suffered a 3-0 loss in Indianapolis to No. 20-ranked Indiana Wesleyan while Cornerstone was swept 3-0 by ninth-ranked Midland University in Nebraska.

Midlands (Neb.) def. Cornerstone, 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-16) box score
Kaylee Dykema opened for Golden Eagles with the first kill of the match and a few early errors allowed Cornerstone to go up 5-3. It's the closest the Golden Eagles would get in the opening set as Midland responded with a 5-0 run to go up 9-5. A Warrior 7-0 run later in the set allowed them to double up CU 20-10. Rylie Walters, Aubrey Lenz, and Olivia Keelean all recorded kills down the stretch of set one before falling. In set two, Midland's serve gave the Warriors a quick 6-2 advantage before Kaylee Dykema recorded a big solo block in the middle of the set to cut the deficit to five at 12-7. Midland scored nine of the last 11 points to close out the set. win set two 25-10. Cornerstone came out strong in set three with an Olivia Keelean kill, but it was short lived as Midland recorded a 6-1 run. Kaylee Dykema and Rylie Walters combined for a block to cut the deficit to 10-7 before another Midland run put the match out of reach. Cornerstone ends its season with a 24-15 record while Midland advances to the finals site with a 24-5 record.
Stat Leaders
Kills: Ringler, 12 (MU); Walters, 6 (CU)
Assists: Leimbach, 34 (MU); Lenz, 16 (CU)
Digs: Leimbach, Vallinch 14 (MU); Walters, Keelen 12 (CU)

Indiana Wesleyan def. Madonna, 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-18) box score
Madonna struck first and built a 10-8 lead before IWU responded with six straight to take the lead. The teams traded points and MU was able to close to within three points a couple of times when Jodie Kelly and Jaeda Porter combined for a block to trail by just two at 21-23. A block and an attack error closed out the set for IWU. Kelly and DJ Sargent opened the second set with back-to-back kills, but the Wildcats kept the pressure on to build a five-point lead before scoring five of the last six points for the win. MU battled in the third set, tying the score at 11-11. IWU scored the next three points, but the Crusaders tied the set again at 16-16. A 6-0 run by the Wildcats sealed the match. MU finished the season at 29-6 while Indiana Wesleyan advanced to the finals site at 23-5.
Stat Leaders
Kills: Kelly 12 (MU); Collar 12 (IWU)
Assists: Zawadzki 41 (IWU); Dawson 35 (MU)
Digs: Dawson 14 (MU); Demarchi 12 (IW)