SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- The NAIA National Tournament for the Vanguard Lions came to an end Saturday afternoon as the Red Raiders of Northwestern (Iowa) advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 victory.  The Lions jumped on the Red Raiders in the first set, winning 25-18, and battled hard in sets two and three, but Northwestern would take the final three periods 25-23, 25-22, 25-14 to improve to 30-2.  The Golden State Athletic Conference Champion Lions will finish a historic season at 29-2 as one of the top-eight teams in the NAIA.
 
The 2023 team will join the 2015 squad as the only two VU teams to reach the quarterfinals in program history.  The 2023 side is also the only one to win the GSAC regular season and tournament titles in the same season.  The 2023 team is also the winningest season in program history and sets a record for fewest defeats in a single season.
 
Both Adeline Galvanoni and Morgan Cole led the Lions with 12 kills apiece and Natalie Escher had a match-high 28 digs.  Rachel Lim topped the Lions with 27 assists and the Blue and Gold had an 8-4 edge in aces in the match, with Lim, Blair Dodge, and Jenesis Rios each collecting two. 
 
What Happened?  The Lions hit a match-best .147 in the first frame and they looked like the team that swept Missouri Baptist last night.  Callie Bickmore slotted down the first kill of the day and though the Red Raiders got the next three points, VU responded by putting up five in a row.  Dodge landed two aces during the run and VU would stay ahead until the frame was tied 9-9.  The two teams were evenly matched the rest of the set, with three ties occurring during the middle stages of the frame and both sides playing tenacious defense.  Tied at 15-15, the Red Raiders made an error and Kayla Robinson and Bickmore threw down a block to put the Lions up 17-15. An ace a few rallies later from Madeline DeLucia sent the Blue and Gold ahead 19-16 and forced NWC to take a timeout.  The top seed in the tournament would end up having to take their second timeout soon thereafter, but to no avail, as the Lions outscored the Red Raiders 5-2 the rest of the way.  Robinson landed a kill and Galvanoni pocketed three over the final rallies of the set, including the kill on the final point, to win set one 25-18.
 
Set 2
Northwestern seemed to realize the Lions were not going to be a pushover and the opening of the second set was nip and tuck.  Bickmore and Cole got the first Vanguard kills and things were soon tied 4-4.  The Red Raiders then went on a 6-2 run to force VU to take a timeout, but the team responded extremely well.  Down 11-6, Galvanoni struck down a booming kill to start a 6-0 stretch that saw the Lions twist the story to take a 12-11 lead.  Lim had two aces during that stretch and Bailey Olbur also bashed down a kill to force the Red Raiders to take a timeout.  A few rallies later, NWC would take a 14-14 tie and rattle off four points in a row, but the Lions did the same, with Robinson making a kill and a block to help level things at 18-18.  However, NWC would immediately score three in a row to take a 21-18 edge.  The Lions did not go away and closed the gap to one with a kill by Viktoria Dickson and an ace from Jenesis Rios, but the Red Raiders would stay ahead and NWC got the final kill to take set two 25-23.  VU hit .102 in the second and NWC jumped from .000 in the first to .119.
 
Set 3
The Red Raiders opened the third with four unanswered points but a block from Olbur and Bickmore got Vanguard on the board.  Unfortunately, the NWC lead continued to grow until a kill by Robinson cut the gap to 10-5.  VU then started the slow grind to get back into contention, as Rios delivered another ace and Olbur and Galvanoni each struck for kills to make it 11-8.  An ace by Natalie Escher brought the score to 13-12, but the Red Raiders scooted away again to a 16-13 edge.  But that did not keep the Blue and Gold down, as back-to-back kills for Galvanoni and a block by her and Olbur tied things at 17-17 and forced NWC to take a timeout.  The Raiders came out of the break with renewed energy and ran off four more unanswered points that proved to be the difference.  Olbur and Bickmore would each get kills down the stretch but Northwestern would equal each VU point to take the third 25-22.  The Lions hit .089 in the third and NWC hit at a .204 mark.
 
Set 4
The Red Raiders would show their top-ranked mettle in the fourth, opening the frame with a 10-4 stretch.  A Vanguard timeout did not make a dent, as the score rose to 17-7 over the next few rallies.  Galvanoni and Bickmore would help the Lions make a mini 4-1 run, but six points (20-14) was the closest VU would get, as NWC closed out the set on a 6-1 streak to win 25-14. 
 
VU hit .087 in the match and had 12 total blocks.  Olbur and Bickmore each had five block assists and both Robinson and Galvanoni made a solo stop.  DeLucia had 18 assists and Cole snagged her 15th double-double of the year with 14 digs.  Lim and DeLucia had 10 digs apiece and Olbur had nine kills.
 
What was Said? Head Coach Jennifer Dorn had a lot to say after the game.  "We stepped into a focused and elite level of play out here in Iowa and I'm just so proud of these girls and our staff.  We put a lot into this year and couldn't be happier to end on such a high note as we say goodbye to the end of our time in the NAIA.  We are going to miss Callie and Natalie so much, as they brough so much to our team and culture.  They both leave playing their best ball and can hold their heads high as they think back on what they accomplished in such a history-making year."
 
"How could you look at this season and not be proud?  I think beyond our stat lines, what has captured me the most this season has been our culture.  Its fun to win, but it is way more fun to win when you have the right culture and the right people to do so."
 
 
Other notes:
The program mark for wins in a row is now set at 27 and Vanguard will end with an all-time record of 13-19 at the NAIA National Tournament. The Lions are now 0-3 all-time against NWC.
 
The loss brings an end to the playing career of Escher and Bickmore to a close, but the seniors made quite the mark this year.  Bickmore had 260 kills (second on the team) and 65 total blocks (third on the team).  Meanwhile, Escher 488 digs to lead VU, with 53 coming in the National Tournament.  She also had 26 aces this season.