game-day

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (JimmieAthletics.com) – The eighth-ranked University of Jamestown volleyball team won a 25-19 tiebreaker set over No. 9 Columbia (Mo.) to advance to the round of 16 at the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship presented by Marriott South Sioux City Riverfront.

UJ finished the set on a 7-0 run with Isabel Wedell at the service line.

The Jimmies rebounded from a sweep earlier Thursday by the Cougars in their final match of pool play.

Westmont (Ca.) earned the top seed in Pool H, while UJ gets the second seed and will face Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Friday at 1:30 p.m.

In Thursday’s pool finale, Jamestown (31-5) and Columbia battled close in the first two sets, with Columbia narrowly winning 29-27 and 25-22 before cruising to a 25-15 third set victory.

Corina Ruud (JR/Breezy Point, Minn.) paced the Jimmies with nine kills and a .350 hitting percentage. Jordan Thomas (SR/Pingree, N.D.) added six kills and Taylor Sabinash (SO/Kensal, N.D.) finished with five.

Miranda Lowman (SR/Mandan, N.D.) passed out 14 assists and Jackie Meiklejohn (SO/Dickey, N.D.) added 13.

Anna Holen (SO/LaMoure, N.D.) racked up a team-high 16 digs while Sydney Ellingson (JR/Langdon, N.D.) was also in double figures with 13. Britta Knudson (SR/Bismarck, N.D.) totaled four blocks, and Ruud and Isabel Wedell (SR/Ellendale, N.D.) both had three.

Jamestown lost a tiebreaker set at last year’s nationals but will advance to the round of 16 for the second time in the last three seasons.