The Lancaster Bible College Women's Volleyball team saw their 2024 season come to an end in Point Lookout, Missouri at the NCCAA Division I National Championships on Thursday night, dropping their final match 3-0 to host College of the Ozarks. The Chargers finish 2024 at 26-10 overall while the Bobcats finish at 19-15 overall.

How it Happened:
The Chargers fell behind early in the first set by several points before freshman Madison Reap landed the first kill for LBC to cut it to 8-4. College of the Ozarks maintained a healthy lead for most of the set, but the Chargers rattled off four straight points in the middle of the set with a kill from sophomore Lea Sareyka and a block from senior Sheyenne King and sophomore Jessica Fletcher. Reap and Fletcher each landed kills late, but the Bobcats took set one 25-18.

Junior Riley Dodrer tied the set at 1-1 with a kill and King and sophomore Eden Belford combined for a block to keep the second set close early. Reap landed a thundering kill down the line to make it 9-6, then Fletcher knocked a kill to make the score 11-7 Bobcats. College of the Ozarks responded with an 8-2 scoring run to separate themselves at 19-9, going on to win 25-12.

Sareyka began set three with a service ace and Fletcher landed another kill to put LBC up early. The Bobcats powered ahead to an 8-4 lead before Sareyka and Belford landed kills to keep the lead in check. Freshman Maggie Kwiatkowski checked in and hit for a kill and a service ace to cut the lead to five, but a 6-1 run from College of the Ozarks extended the set to 19-9 and forced a Chargers timeout. Kills from sophomore Madeline Reed and junior Madison Timberlake came late in the set, but the Bobcats closed out the set 25-13 and sent the Chargers home.

By the Numbers:
- The Bobcats led in kills 43-26 and dominated in blocks with 12 to the Chargers' three
- Jessica Fletcher led the Chargers with seven kills
- Madison Reap and Eden Belford added six and five kills respectively
- Senior Emma Shaeffer dished a team-high 12 assists
- Leah Helman anchored the Chargers one last time with 21 digs
- For the Bobcats, Bri Linehan and Brooklyn Crawford led the way with 12 kills each and Mica Chadwell posted a game-high 30 digs

From the Coach:
"This team played hard to the end and I am very proud of all their efforts. We had a lot of long rallies but couldn't end on the winning side. We are grateful to the Lord for the season we've had and for the milestones we reached." ~ Head Coach Julie Brubaker

Information to Know:
The Chargers played their final game of 2024 tonight as they wrapped their record-setting season as a program, setting records with 26 total victories, nine conference wins, and their first-ever NCCAA Division I Regional title and first trip to the Division I National Tournament. Lancaster Bible will see the departure of four seniors at the end of the school year in Leah Helman, Sheyenne King, Crystal Lenk, and Emma Shaeffer. Lenk played two season with the Chargers and appeared in 21 matches, totaling 18 kills, seven digs, and nine total blocks. Shaeffer spent all four years with the Chargers, missing one season due to an injury and playing in 79 total matches. She finished with the 8th-most assists in program history with 925 and with 404 assists in 2024 for a season career-high, also adding 276 career digs and 63 total service aces. King played all four seasons with the Chargers in 98 career matches, hitting for 226 kills and 55 service aces. Sheyenne also finished with 92 total blocks to get her into the top-20 in program history and had 73 block assists, the 14th-highest total in Charger history. Helman spent all four years with the Chargers and played in 116 career matches, making the switch to libero as a sophomore and anchoring the LBC defense for those three years. Leah finishes her career as the all-time program leader in digs with 1,992 in total, also setting a single-season program record with 705 digs in 2024. She finished second in Charger history with 206 service aces and set a personal best with 71 this season. Helman finished as one of the most decorated athletes in the history of LBC Athletics, garnering three consecutive United East Defensive Player of the Year awards, three All-Conference selections, an NCCAA All-Region selection, and seven conference Player of the Week honors.

Congratulations to the Chargers Women's Volleyball team for their incredible 2024 season!!