The Lancaster Bible College Women's Volleyball team is queen of the NCCAA Mideast Region as they took down three-seed Ohio Christian 3-1 in Wilmore, Ky. Friday afternoon, winning their first regional title since 2014 and their first as a Division I member. The Chargers punched their ticket to the NCCAA Division I National Tournament the week of December 4-7 as the Mideast Regional qualifier. Lancaster Bible improves to 26-7 overall while the Trailblazers finish 16-18 on the year.

How it Happened:
The Chargers raced to a 9-0 start in the first set behind two kills from sophomore Eden Belford and capped off with an ace from freshman Madison Reap. The Trailblazers climbed back into the set, making it a 14-10 lead and forcing an LBC timeout. Senior Leah Helman put the lead back to five points on an ace, then Belford landed a kill to keep it five at 18-13. The Chargers reached set point, but Ohio Christian fought back to tie the match at 24-24 and force extra points. After falling down 26-25, the Chargers landed three straight kills with sophomore Lea Sareyka putting the finishing touches on the set 28-26.

Set two began with both teams trading points before senior Sheyenne King capped off a 5-1 scoring run with an ace to put the Chargers up 10-4. The Chargers led by as many as 13 points late in the set as Reap landed a team-high seven kills in the set, but Ohio Christian staved off the loss with eight straight points to force a timeout. An error from the Trailblazers capped off set two 25-19 and put Lancaster Bible one set short of a regional championship.

The Chargers were not able to claim a lead in the third set as Ohio Christian started on a 4-0 run and extended their lead to 14-5 early on. Sareyka knocked back-to-back kills to cut the deficit to eight, then King landed another service ace in a late effort to bring LBC back into the set. The Trailblazers, however, were able to get the final two points and take set three 25-16 to make it a 2-1 set lead for the Chargers.

Lancaster Bible came out firing in set four with everyone contributing. Sareyka had a kill, Belford and King both had blocks, and Helman had an ace to put the Chargers up 10-5. That lead was extended to as high as 10 with a kill from junior Riley Dodrer, but the Trailblazers stayed within reach as they pulled within six at 18-12. Lancaster Bible closed quick with kills from Belford, King, and Sareyka to approach the final point, then it was sophomore Jessica Fletcher who delivered the final blow and sealed the deal 25-14, clinching the first Regional Title for the Chargers in ten years and sending them to the NCCAA National Tournament.

By the Numbers:
- The Chargers won the kills battle by 17, tying a season-high with 58 total kills to the Trailblazers' 41
- Eden Belford had a game-high 13 kills for the Chargers
- Jessica Fletcher and Madison Reap each had 11 kills and Lea Sareyka added 10
- Madeline Reed and Emma Shaeffer had 23 and 21 assists respectively
- Leah Helman anchored the Chargers with 32 digs and a game-high four aces
- For the Trailblazers, Madison Blickenstaff had nine kills and three blocks and Sophie Coleman tallied a game-high 35 digs

From the Coach:
"I am incredibly proud of our team for stepping up when they needed to this game and playing with poise and consistency throughout. They stayed mentally tough and stayed in control of the game, which is hard to do in a new environment and in a high-pressure situation. Our bench always brings such great energy and their contributions were super important today in a new gym and after a long trip. It was a great opportunity and a great result today to represent Lancaster Bible College and compete at this level! This team has blazed the trail this season for the program and where we can go and what we can accomplish together. We are excited to reach the NCCAA National Tournament and look forward to preparing for another great opportunity to compete!" ~ Head Coach Julie Brubaker

Information to Know:
The Chargers captured their fifth NCCAA Regional Championship in program history today and their first as an NCCAA Division I member. This is the first time an LBC program has won a regional title since Men's Basketball in 2022 in the Midwest Region and the first Chargers title as a member of the Mideast Region. Lancaster Bible had four players in double-figures for kills today (Belford/Fletcher/Reap/Sareyka), just the second game this season with that line. Leah Helman had her seventh career game with 30+ digs with 32 today and extends her program record to 1,939 career digs with several games remaining after the regional win and a chance to surpass 2,000. Emma Shaeffer passed 900 assists today with 21 and is just the eighth player in program history to reach the 900-assist mark.

Up Next:
The Chargers have some time off as they await the selection of all eight teams to the NCCAA Division I National Tournament and will compete in Point Lookout, Missouri starting Wednesday, December 4.