The Lancaster Bible College Women's Volleyball team opened up Pool Play at the NCCAA Division I National Championships on Wednesday, hosted by College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. The Chargers suffered a pair of losses to both NCAA Division II Jessup University 3-0 and defending NCCAA national champions Grace College 3-0. The Chargers fall to 26-9 overall and 0-2 in Pool Play while the Warriors improve to 16-12 overall and 1-0 in Pool Play and the Lancers finish the day 2-0 in Pool Play and 22-11 overall.

vs No. 3 Jessup – 3-0 Loss (12-25, 10-25, 19-25)

How it Happened:
The Chargers faced an early 6-0 deficit as Jessup came out swinging, landing three kills in a row and capitalizing on some Charger errors. Sophomore Lea Sareyka had the first kills of the game for LBC, landing two straight to help close the early deficit to four. Senior Leah Helman landed an ace late in the set, but the Warriors proved to be too much as they took set one 25-12. 

It was Jessup that took an early lead once again in set two at 5-1, with the closest deficit after that being six for the match as the Chargers couldn't find momentum with no consecutive points in the set. The Warriors rolled to a 25-10 win and put the Chargers on the brink with a 2-0 match lead.

The Chargers faced a familiar deficit in set three as Jessup went up 5-1, but stayed within striking distance as junior Riley Dodrer and sophomore Jessica Fletcher landed kills. The Chargers took advantage of several Warrior service errors in the set to stay competitive, pulling within one point twice in the middle of the set, but Jessup used a four-point run to create some space. Freshmen Madison Reap and Maggie Kwiatkowski had kills later in the set, but the Warriors closed on a four-point run to win the set 25-19 and complete the opening-game sweep.

By the Numbers:
- Jessup threw a block party as they dominated the net 9-1 over Lancaster Bible, as well as limiting the Chargers to a season-low 15 kills while hitting for 41
- Lea Sareyka led the Chargers with six kills, while Madison Reap added four kills and 10 digs
- Leah Helman finished with a game-high 17 digs and a service ace
- The Warriors were led by Delaina Hunt with a game-high seven kills and two blocks

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vs No. 2 Grace (Ind.) – 3-0 Loss (22-25, 18-25, 18-25)

How it Happened:
The Chargers struck first with a kill from sophomore Eden Belford, then again as Lea Sareyka landed a kill for a 4-3 LBC lead. The Chargers and Lancers were tied at every point from one through seven until Grace (Ind.) broke free on a five-point run to open up a lead. Lancaster Bible fought back to tie the score at 12-12 and 13-13 with kills from Sareyka and Belford, but the Lancers continued to keep distance. Grace (Ind.) carried their momentum to a 25-22 opening set win.

Lancaster Bible fell into an early hole in set two as the Lancers scored the first eight points of the set before Belford ended the run with a kill. The Chargers tried to get back in the set, cutting the deficit to five after an ace from Sareyka and a kill from Madison Reap. Grace (Ind.), however, was able to hold onto their lead and take set two 25-18.

The Chargers fell behind early again in the third set 4-0, but Belford landed a kill to bring it to just 6-3 early. The Lancers maintained a five- to six- point lead for most of the set, taking it 25-18 and securing the win over Lancaster Bible.

By the Numbers:
- The Lancers led in kills 42-26 and in blocks 4-1, while the teams tied with two aces apiece
- Eden Belford led the Chargers with eight kills, with Lea Sareyka adding seven kills
- Sophomore Madeline Reed had 11 assists and senior Emma Shaeffer added eight assists
- Leah Helman anchored the defense with 15 digs and Madison Reap finished with 10 digs and five kills
- The Lancers were led by Anna Elkin and Alisha Voss with nine kills each

From the Coach:
"It's great to compete at the National Tournament. The competition is pushing us to get better. Unfortunately the result hasn't been what we've wanted. We are hoping to finish strong tomorrow." ~ Head Coach Julie Brubaker

Information to Know:
The Chargers competed in their first NCCAA Division I National Tournament matches today, facing both Jessup and Grace (Ind.) for the first time. Sophomore Lea Sareyka has joined the all-time program ranks as she has shot into the top-20 all-time in kills, ending the day with 446 career kills for the 17th-most in program history. Sareyka also became just the sixth player in program history to record over 1,000 total attacks in a single-season, holding the eighth-most TAs in a season with 1,013 right now. Senior libero Leah Helman continues to add to her historic career with 32 more digs on the day, reaching 1,971 career digs to extend her program record and now with 684 digs in 2024 as a single-season LBC record. Sophomore Jessica Fletcher recorded her 400th career kill in the second match of the day, which is second-most among active players (Sareyka). Sophomore Madeline Reed reached 600 assists this season in the second match, becoming just the sixth player all-time to record a 600-assist season in a Charger uniform.

Up Next:
The Chargers have one more game of Pool Play tomorrow as they face the host school of College of the Ozarks on Thursday, December 5 at 9:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m. CT).