Women's Volleyball - Tue, Nov. 29, 2011
Sioux City, Iowa - The Missouri Baptist Spartans are preparing to begin play in the 2011 NAIA National Championship tournament beginning Tuesday at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City.
24 of the best teams in the NAIA made the trip to compete for a national title, including fellow AMC opponent, Columbia College. The day will be filled with volleyball action as pool play commences. The Spartans are last on the docket for the day, as they will face four-time defending national champ, Fresno Pacific in the nightcap.
Missouri Baptist drew Pool B, which many NAIA insiders consider the toughest in the tournament. In order for teams to advance, they must be in the top two of their pool at the end of pool play on Thursday to advance to the single elimination round.
Missouri Baptist, an underdog, will not be taken lightly in competition, however. The team made waves throughout the NAIA after a surprising straight set victory over Columbia College in the AMC Tournament Championship match. If the Spartans were under the radar prior to the tournament, their cover has surely been blown.
Joining MBU and Fresno Pacific are two highly talented squads. Out of the Red River Conference, University of Texas at Brownsville will play the Spartans on Wednesday. The Scorpions spent much of the season as the top-ranked team in the nation. Led by Ana Guerra, the 6'1" middle blocker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the team is widely considered the favorite of the tournament. Guerra is ranked number one in the nation in hitting percentage (.417) number two in blocks per game (1.6) and number nine in total blocks (153), The team is big, strong and at the top of their game.
Rounding out the pool is MidAmerica Nazarene. The Pioneers are the winners of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and pulled off an upset of their own after a surprising upset victory in opening round play against 21st ranked, Bellevue.
MidAmerica is a team that can overcome obstacles to win. The team ranks 18th in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.252) and 20th in total blocks (300). This is not a team to overlook. Those who do, usually find themselves on the losing end of the match.
If Missouri Baptist makes it out of pool play, they will have knocked-out at least one of the tournament favorites. The Spartans have only faced one of these teams this year in an early-season bout with the Scorpions. MBU managed to steal a set from the big Texas team, only the second team in the nation to do so at the time. The other… Columbia College.
It is sure to be an exciting week of play for all teams, but the Spartans are hoping for one final run at the end of the season to take home the biggest hardware of the year… a National Title.
