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Truman State University Athletics

GLVCChamps_VB14
Jeff Smith - GLVC
2
McKendree MCK 20-13
3
Winner Truman TSU 28-3
McKendree MCK
20-13
2
Final
3
Truman TSU
28-3
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
McKendree MCK 25 25 17 20 8 (2)
Truman TSU 21 21 25 25 15 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Tyler Madsen, Athletics Communications

Bulldogs Reach the Top - - Volleyball Crowned Conference Champions

Box Score (PDF)
 
EAST PEORIA, Ill. - - For the first time as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and for the eighth time in the history of the program, the Truman volleyball team claimed a conference championship, as the Bulldogs rallied from two sets down to defeat McKendree University 3-2 in the championship match of the GLVC tournament on Saturday afternoon at the EastSide Centre.
 
The victory gave Truman State University its second GLVC title as an institution since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season (women's basketball, 2014), while the volleyball program notched its first conference championship since 2007 with the thrilling come-from-behind win.
 
Truman (28-3) found itself in a deep hole, as the purple and white trailed 2-0 heading into the intermission. McKendree (20-13) side posted first and second set victories by identical 25-21 margins - never trailing in the first set and coming back from a 17-12 deficit in the second set.
 
From there, however, the Bulldogs began turning the pressure up on the Bearcats, as Truman captured the third set 25-17 before baiting McKendree into 12 fourth set attack errors for a 25-20 Bulldog win.
 
In the fifth, Truman gave up the first point, but then went on a 10-2 run that busted the seams and opened a seven point gap – forcing both of McK's timeouts in the set. After Truman eventually reached match point at 14-6, three points later an Ali Patterson kill was the final punch – clinching both regular season and tournament championships for the Bulldogs.
 
Both teams played phenomenal defense at the wall in the see-saw battle, with the squads combining for 35 blocks (McK, 18; Truman, 17), while the Bulldogs forced the Bearcats into a total of 40 attack miscues in the match. Truman hit just .133 offensively to McKendree's .109, with Truman being led by junior Abby Heise's 14 kills, two aces, and two block assists. Senior Allie Brak finished the match with 10 kills and 18 digs, while three other Bulldogs – Patterson, junior Emilee Walters, and sophomore Kayla Bastian – also reached double-figure points on the offensive end.
 
Setter Meghan Zimmerman finished with 37 assists and nine digs, while senior Abby Moser logged a match-high 20 digs. Patterson and Walters each finished with eight rejections, while Bastian and Brak combined for a solo block and eight block assists.
 
Sophie Fairman finished with 12 kills and 12 blocks for McKendree, who entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed out of the East division and defeated both Rockhurst and Indianapolis en route to the conference championship match.
 
Truman earned the GLVC's automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Div. II tournament and will find out the location of the Midwest regional, along with its first-round opponent on Sunday (Nov. 16) night at 9 p.m. The selection show will air on NCAA.com.
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