[Volleyball] Madonna joins LTU in Sioux City for Women's Volleyball Nationals

LIVONIA, Mich. - The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) will have two teams at the final site of the Tyson Events Center for the 2019 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship. Lawrence Tech received an Opening Round bye and Madonna defeated Indiana-South Bend 3-2 to advance to Sioux City, Iowa. 

The Crusaders took the first two sets 25-16 and 25-20 before IU-South Bend rallied for the next two 26-24 and 25-22. The final set went back-and-forth with 13 ties. Madonna won six of the final eight points capped with a kill from Jodie Kelly to claim victory and improve to 25-12.

Kelly finished with 32 kills while Erica LaBaere had 13 and Tauri Hintz added 12. LaBaere also had five blocks and Betsy Cook finished with 66 assists.

Madonna joins the other 11 Opening Round winners, the top 19 seeds and championship host Morningside (Iowa) at the national championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa. Action inside the Tyson Events Center starts with three days of pool play from Dec. 3-5. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the elimination bracket on Dec. 6, and the national champion will be crowned Dec. 7 with first serve set for 7 p.m. CST on ESPN3.