Wyoming, MI: On Thursday, the 4th seeded Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles volleyball team traveled to Grace College in Wyoming, Michigan to open play in the quarterfinal round of the NCCAA Mideast Regional Tournament. When the last spike had been made, the Eagles had pulled out a 3-2 thriller over the 5th seeded Welch College Flames (11-9).
In the opening set, the two squads battled point-for point before ALC squeaked out a 25-23 win. The Flames then returned the favor in set two, narrowly winning 25-22.
In Game 3, the two evenly matched squads would claw tooth and nail for each point. WC would score last to win 25-23.
Knowing one more loss would mean defeat, the Lady Eagles dug down deep in search of the win. The Flames made them earn every point, but ALC held on for a 25-21 win to force the tie-break match.
Game 5 was full of drama as the score flipped back and forth. With the score knotted at 11, the Lady Eagles would close on a 4-1 run to win, 15-12. With the victory, Alice Lloyd iced the heart-stopping match, 3-2.
On the night, freshman Kelsie Jackson led the club in kills with 12 while sophomores Lindsey Perkins and Emily Johnson contributed 10 and 8 of their own. Sophomore Haley Smith paved the way with 18 digs while fellow sophomore Samantha Sturgill chipped in with 13. Freshman Lakyn Wallace added 11 digs and was dominate in the assists category as she handed out 29 on the night.
ALC (10-12) returns to action Friday in the semi-finals as they will face the region’s top seed, and NCCAA’s top ranked, Kentucky Christian Lady Knights (27-5) in the first game of the day at 6:00 pm. That match will be followed by 2nd seed Johnson University (TN) vs 3rd seeded Grace (MI) at 8:00 pm. The two winners will play for the championship Saturday at noon.