Lady Crusader Volleyball Update

MCC Finished 5th at NCCAA National Tournament

11/10/2007
OMAHA, NE - The Lady Crusaders had a great showing at the NCCAA National Tournament this year, finishing in 5th place. MCC went into the tournament seeded #3. Match play began last Thursday morning with a match against the #7 seed Northland Baptist Bible College. MCC defeated Northland in 3 sets, 30-23, 30-24 and 30-16. The second match of pool play was against Maranatha Baptist Bible College, the #6 seed. The Lady Crusaders fought hard but in the end MBBC took the match in 5 sets, 30-24, 26-30, 21-30, 30-28 and 11-15.

The first pool play match on Friday was against the #10 seed, Southwestern College. MCC took the match in three sets, 30-25, 30-28 and 30-22. The final match of pool play was against the #2 seed, and a Conference opponent, Grace University. MCC needed to win this match to have any chance of advancing on in the tournament. "The team was excited and ready to go, we wanted this game so badly. It was the best match the team has ever played against Grace. We played with more heart and passion than any team at the tournament!" said Coach Sanders. In the end, Grace was stronger and defeated MCC in three sets, 20-30, 22- 30, 33-35. With two losses in pool play, the Lady Crusaders could not advance to the semi-finals.

There were two players who received honors at the National Tournament. Ellie Stutzman was awarded 1st Team All-American and All-Tournament Team. Joanna Ingmire was awarded 2nd Team All-American.

----

The Lady Crusaders Sweep the
NCCAA Central Region Tournament

10/27/2007
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Lady Crusaders traveled to Springfield, MO to participate in the NCCAA Central Region Tournament. MCC went into the tournament undefeated in the region and the #1 seed.

The Lady Crusaders first match was against Baptist Bible College, the #4 seed. MCC defeated BBC in three sets, 30-14, 30-19, 30-25. Next, MCC took on Calvary Bible College, the #3 seed. The Lady Crusaders swept the match, 30-24, 30-27, 30-16. This put the Lady Crusaders directly into the Championship match.

The Championship match was against Ozark Christian College. MCC came out strong and took the match again in three sets, 30-13, 30-27, 30-19. With this win, the Lady Crusaders are headed to the National Tournament in Omaha, NE.

Ellie Stutzman, a junior setter from Lincoln, NE was named the Central Region MVP. Jen McGauley, a sophomore libero from Glendale, AZ was named Central Region Libero of the Year; Joanna Ingmire, a senior outside hitter from Manhattan, KS was named to the 1st All Region Team and Katie Crum, a sophomore from Glendale, AZ was named to the 2nd All-Region Team. Coach Sanders, was awarded the Central Region Coach of the Year for the third year in a row.

----

MCC Defeats Central Christian

10/23/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - In their final home match, the Lady Crusaders defeated NAIA opponent Central Christian College of McPherson, KS in four sets, 25-30, 30-21, 30-12, 30-19. "It was a great way to end our regular season games. I was very proud of the way the girls went out and took control of the match after losing the first set. Once we gained the momentum, there was no stopping the Lady Crusaders!" said Coach Sanders. MCC's current record is 26-4.

This was also our Senior Night. We have one senior, Joanna Ingmire. She put on a great show for the crowd, making several key plays throughout the match, including the game winning kill! She put down 14 kills, dug 9 balls and had 1 solo block. Rachel Brown also had a great match with 18 kills, 2 digs and 1 block assists. Katie Crum finished with 11 kills, 3 aces, 4 digs, 3 solo block and 3 block assists. Ellie Stutzman finished with 47 assists, 5 kills, 19 digs, 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Jen McGauley led the defense with 26 digs. The Lady Crusaders finished the match with 65 kills, 58 assists, 13 aces, 94 digs, 8 solo block and 6 block assists.

This weekend the Crusaders will travel to Springfield, MO for the NCCAA Regional Tournament. MCC is seeded #1 in the region and will play at 5:30 on Friday night.

----

Lady Crusaders Finish 2nd at Conference Tournament

This weekend the Lady Crusaders traveled to Moberly, MO to participate in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. MCC went into the tournament seeded 2nd with a Conference record of 8-2.

First, the Lady Crusader took on the #7 seed Barclay College. MCC defeated Barclay 30-7, 30-9, and 30-3. Jen McGauley had a great match, playing as an outside hitter, rather than libero. She finished with 14 kills, 4 aces, and 9 digs. Joanna Ingmire had 8 kills, 2 assists, 4 aces and 11 digs. Katie Crum and Aly Woodbury each chipped in 7 kills. Ellie Stutzman had 38 assists, 5 kills and 2 aces. The team totaled 46 kills, 41 assists, 26 aces, 39 digs and 1 solo block.

In the next round of the tournament, MCC took on Ozark Christian College. MCC defeated OCC 30-20, 30-18, 30-23. Katie Crum was the kill leader with 13 kills. She also had 4 block assists. Aly Woodbury put down 11 kills. Her blocking was also phenomenal, with 2 solo blocks and 3 block assists. Jen McGauley finished with 10 kills, 12 digs and 1 block assists. Ellie Stutzman had 44 assists and 10 digs. Halie Brown, stepping into the libero position, finished with 25 digs. The team finished with 49 kills, 45 assists, 12 aces, 66 digs, 2 solo blocks and 10 block assists. The win over Ozark put MCC in the Championship match.

The Championship match was against Grace University who was undefeated in Conference Play. MCC started out strong but was not able to get past Grace's strong offense. MCC lost 32-34, 11-30 and 22-30. Jen McGauley and Aly Woodbury led our offense with 8 kills each. Joanna Ingmire was right behind with 7 kills. Ellie Stutzman had 4 kills, 26 assists, and 15 digs. The team finished with 36 kills, 30 assists, 4 aces, 59 digs, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists.

Rachel Brown, Katie Crum and Jen McGauley were named to the 2nd All-Conference Team. Ellie Stutzman and Joanna Ingmire were named to the 1st All-Conference Team. The team finished 2nd in Conference play and 2nd in the Tournament. Our final Conference record was 10-3.

----

MCC Continues Winning Streak

10/16/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - The Lady Crusaders defeated Calvary Bible College 30-21, 34-36, 30-13, 30-15. "The team played well, despite a few rotation changes. We tried a new rotation that wasn't quite prepared and it cost us the second game. That was a tough set for the team. But they came out strong in the third and fourth sets, and finished the match. I was very proud of how they came back!" said Coach Sanders.

Katie Crum was at the top of her game, she finished with an amazing 15 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists. Joanna Ingmire and Rachel Brown both chipped in 13 kills each. Ellie Stutzman had 49 assists, 8 aces, 14 digs, 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Jen McGauley finished with 38 digs. The team rallied 66 kills, 58 assists, 15 aces, 99 digs, 7 solo blocks and 10 block assists.

MCC is 23-3 and 8-2 in the Conference, which puts us as the #2 seed for the Conference Tournament. The Lady Crusaders first match in the Conference Tournament will be Friday at 10:00 am against the #7 seed, Barclay College.

----

MCC Defeats Ozark Christian College

10/13/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - MCC defeated OCC in 3 sets Friday, 30-19, 30-20 and 30-21. The Lady Crusaders had exceptionally powerful attacking games. Rachel Brown led the team with 15 kills. Aly Woodbury and Joanna Ingmire each had 11 kills. Katie Crum finished with 7 kills. Laura Skiles and Ellie Stutzman both had 5 each. That is a total of 54 kills for the night. Jen McGauley had a great night on defense, she finished with 28 digs, Emily Hartter also did well with10 digs. The team finished with 54 kills, 46 assist, 8 aces, 71 digs, 6 solo blocks and 3 block assists.

Tuesday, the Lady Crusader play their final Conference match against Calvary Bible College.

----

MCC Sweeps Barclay

10/10/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - The Lady Crusaders took on MCCC opponent Barclay College last night. MCC swept Barclay in three games, winning 30-4, 30-16, 30-8. This brings the Lady Crusaders record to 21-3 and 6-2 in the Conference. MCC is also currently undefeated in the NCCAA Central Region.

Barclay was no match for MCC's serving, the team finished with 33 aces in the match. Our offense was also strong, putting down 42 kills out of 54 attempts. Rachel Brown had 13 kills out of 16 attempts, 2 digs and 1 block assists. Ellie Stutzman finished with 7 kills, 22 assists, and 9 aces. The Lady Crusaders finished the match with 42 kills, 37 assists, 33 aces, 23 digs and 3 total blocks.

This Friday, MCC takes on Ozark Christian College at 7:00pm. This night is also our Recruit Day. Anyone interested in attending MCC and playing for the Lady Crusaders is welcome to attend. We would love to have you come for a visit, meet the team and watch a great game of volleyball. Contact Coach Sanders for more information!

----

MCC Defeats Another NAIA Opponent

10/6/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - This weekend, the Lady Crusaders took on Oklahoma Wesleyan University from Bartlesville, OK. This was the second match between MCC and OWU and MCC defeated OWU for the second time 26-30, 30-25, 30-25 and 30-19.

"It was a great win! We were excited to have the competition of OWU. They came out strong the first set and took the set, it was a wake-up call for the girls. We we stepped onto the court for the second set we got into our rhythm and took the momentum of the game. There was no stopping us after that! The team played a great match," said Coach Sanders.

Rachel Brown led the team with 21 kills, a season high. Joanna Ingmire had 20 kills, 1 ace, 20 digs and 1 solo block. Ellie Stutzman had 9 kills, 56 assists, 6 aces, 14 digs, 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Katie Crum had 9 kills, 2 aces, 6 digs and 1 solo block. Jen McGauley led the defense with 28 digs.

The team as a whole played a great match, finishing with 73 kills, 62 assists, 13 aces, 91 digs, 6 solos blocks and 1 block assist. This week, the Lady Crusaders take on Barclay College of Haviland, KS and Ozark Christian College of Joplin, MO.

----

Lady Crusaders Defeat Union College

10/2/2007
LINCOLN, NE - The Lady Crusaders continue to play well, defeating Union College in Lincoln, NE, 30-18, 30-22, 30-18.

"The team played well, I was a little worried at the beginning. We had a shaky start. However, once the girls settled down and got into our rhythm, there was no stopping us. Our blocking was right on, something we have been working on. I was very proud of the way the girls played," said Coach Sanders. Rachel Brown and Joanna Ingmire both led the offense with 12 kills each. Brown also had 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Ingmire had 12 digs and 1 solos block and 1 block assists as well. Katie Crum finished with 9 kills, 1 ace, 5 digs, 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Ellie Stutzman had 8 kills, 40 assists, 1 ace, 8 digs and 2 solo block. Aly Woodbury had a great game with 7 kills, 1 solo block and 1 block assists. Jen McGauley finished with 2 aces and 35 digs. The team swept the match with 50 kills, 44 assists, 5 aces, 75 digs, 7 solos blocks and 6 block assist.

This weekend, the Lady Crusaders are playing at home against Oklahoma Wesleyan University from Bartlesville, OK.

----

MCC Falls to Grace, Defeats NCC

9/29/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - This past weekend, the Lady Crusaders lost to Grace University, 19-30, 28-30, 22-30 and defeated Nebraska Christian College 30-4, 30-9, 30-10. The Crusaders are now 18-3 overall and 5-2 in conference.

Friday's match against Grace University was MCC's second loss to Grace this season. Coach Sanders said, "We just can't seem to pull our game together against Grace. Our blocking and defense was lacking, which cannot happen against a strong offensive team like Grace. We know what we have to work on now, and I expect the team now to work even harder to beat Grace at the Conference Tournament."

Joanna Ingmire led the team with 9 kills, 8 digs and 2 block assists. Rachel Brown and Katie Crum had 7 kills each. Ellie Stutzman had 5 kills, 14 digs and 29 assists. Jen McGauley had 16 digs. MCC finished with 39 kills, 33 assists, 5 aces, 52 digs, 1 solo block and 6 block assists.

On Saturday, MCC came out ready to win after their tough loss to Grace. "The team played great, we kept our offense fast and our serving was excellent." stated Coach Sanders.

Katie Crum had a great game, finishing with 9 kills, 2 aces, 3 digs and 1 block assists. Joanna Ingmire was right behind with 8 kills, 5 digs and 1 block assist. Ellie Stutzman finished with 4 kills, 31 assists, 5 aces and 5 digs. Jen McGauley led the defense with 17 digs. The team finished with 43 kills, 36 assists, 23 aces, 46 digs, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists.

Upcoming games this week are Tuesday, October 2 against Union College, in Lincoln, NE and Saturday, October 6 against Oklahoma Wesleyan University at home. We hope to see you there!

----

Lady Crusaders Continue Winning Streak

9/25/2007
McPHERSON, KS - The Lady Crusaders defeated another NAIA opponent, Central Christian College in McPherson, KS. MCC won 30-23, 30-17, and 30-24. The match started out with a 2-7 run by Central, but MCC settled down and started playing their game and took over the rest of the match. Joanna Ingmire played an excellent match, putting down 16 kills and 3 aces. Rachel Brown had 10 kills and Laura Skiles had 7 kills and 2 blocks. Ellie Stutzman finished with 5 kills, 37 assists, 7 digs and 4 blocks. Jen McGauley led the defense with 30 digs. The team finished with 52 kills, 40 assists, 7 aces, 77 digs, 4 solos blocks and 2 block assists.

This weekend the Lady Crusaders take on Grace University and Nebraska Christian College.

----

MCC Defeats Vennard College and
Central Christian College of the Bible

9/22/2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, IA - This past weekend the Lady Crusaders took on two Conference team, Vennard College of University Park, IA and Central Christian College of the Bible of Moberly, MO. Neither team was a match for MCC. The Crusaders defeated Vennard 30-7, 30-3 and 30-2 and defeated Central 30-12, 30-9 and 30-5.

"We continue to keep our level of play consistent and our offense fast. I have been extremely pleased with how the team has been playing." stated Coach Sanders.

Katie Crum played an great match against Vennard. Putting down 12 kills out of 13 attempts with no errors. Joanna Ingmire followed with 12 kills also. Laura Skiles was perfect with 8 kills out of 8 attempts. Ellie Stutzman had 33 assists and 14 aces. Jen McGauley had 15 digs and 7 aces. The team finished with 45 kills, 42 assists, 35 aces, 28 digs and 1 solo block.

Against Central, Aly Woodbury led the team with 13 kills. Joanna Ingmire was close behind with 12 kills and 4 digs. Ellie Stutzman finished with 34 assists, 5 aces and 6 digs. The Crusaders finished with 56 kills, 45 assists, 16 aces and 47 digs. This week the Lady Crusaders take on Central Christian College of McPherson on Tuesday.

This weekend is Family Weekend and MCC will face at home Grace University on Friday night and Nebraska Christian College on Saturday afternoon.

----

Lady Crusaders Ranked #1 in NCCAA Division II

9/20/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - For the second week in a row, the Lady Crusaders are ranked #1 in the nation with a power ranking of 4.875. In team stats, the Lady Crusaders are ranked in the Top 25 in every skill:

#2 - Attacking Percentage - 30.55%
#14 - Blocking Avg. - 1.52/game
#2 - Assist Avg. - 12.38/game
#1 - Kill Avg. - 14.69/game
#4 - Ace Avg. - 4.14/game
#10 - Digging Avg. - 20.52/game

To view all the NCCAA Division II stats and to see where the team ranks in individual skills visit the NCCAA DII web site.

----

Lady Crusaders Sweep Barclay College

9/18/2007
HAVILAND, KS - The Lady Crusaders took on Barclay College in Haviland, KS, this past week. Barclay was no match for the quick offense of the Lady Crusaders. MCC took the match 30-8, 30-7, 30-8. Joanna Ingmire led the offense with 16 kills. Katie Crum played one of her best games of the season, with 13 kills, 1 assists, 1 ace, 3 digs and 1 solo block. Ellie Stutzman has 42 assists, 2 kills, 5 aces, 2 digs and 1 solo block. The team finished with 46 kills, 45 assists, 19 aces, 39 digs, and 5 solos blocks.

----

MCC Defeats Nebraska Christian College

9/15/2007
PAPILLION, NE - After a tough loss the Grace, MCC took on Nebraska Christian College. The team started out great winning to first two sets 30-13, 30-17. NCC came back in the third game and won 28-30. After losing this set, the Lady Crusaders came out even stronger winning the final set 30-12. "The girls played a great game. We kept our offense fast and strong, which was our goal for the game. Joanna Ingmire played an amazing match, finishing with 19 kills, 1 ace, 14 digs, 1 block solo and 2 bloc assists. Rachel Brown had 14 kills, 1 dig and 2 solo blocks. Laura Skiles had a season high 11 kills, 1 solo block and 2 block assists. Ellie Stutzman had 45 assists, 10 kills, and 7 digs. Halie Brown did great as libero with 20 kills. Emily Hartter also had a great game on defense with 17 digs. The Lady Crusaders ended the match with 73 kills, 63 assists, 14 aces, 92 digs, 4 solo blocks and 6 block assists.

----

MCC Falls to Grace University

9/14/2007
OMAHA, NE - The Lady Crusaders traveled to Omaha to take on Grace University. MCC lost the match in three - 22-30, 31-33, 18-30. It was a tough loss for the team. "The girls were physically ready to play Grace, we had been working hard at practice and were excited for the competition. However, when we started playing, mentally we were not tough enough. We got down quickly and could not bring ourselves up. Grace was a strong team and kept their level of play high, where we did not." stated Coach Sanders. Rachel Brown finished the match with 10 kills and 1 solo block. Joanna Ingmire was close behind with 9 kills, 1 ace, 14 digs and 1 block assist. Ellie Stutzman had 27 assists, 5 kills, 12 digs, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists. The team finished with 38 kills, 31 assists, 2 aces, 60 digs, 5 solos blocks and 6 block assists.

----

MCC Takes 1st Place at Pre-Regional Tournament

9/8/2007
JOPLIN, MO - The Lady Crusaders traveled to Joplin, MO this past weekend to participate in the NCCAA Central Pre-Regional Tournament. The Crusaders were unstoppable finishing the tournament in first place to become the #1 seed in the Central Region. Ellie Stutzman was named MVP of the tournament and Rachel Brown received an All-Tournament Team award.

MCC started off the tournament with a win over Baptist Bible College from Springfield, MO. The scores were 30-12, 32-34, 30-15 and 30-25. Joanna Ingmire led the team with 18 kills, 17 digs, 2 solos block and 1 block assist. Rachel Brown finished with 10 kills and 3 digs. Ellie Stutzman had 45 assists, 7 kills, 9 digs and 2 solo blocks. Jen McGauley led the defense with 5 kills, 2 aces and 38 digs. The team finished the match with 66 kills, 53 assists, 12 aces, 95 digs, 4 solos blocks and 4 block assist.

Next, the Lady Crusaders took on Central Christian College of the Bible of Moberly, MO. MCC dominated the match, winning 30-14, 30-13, 30-10. Rachel Brown led the offense with 9 kills. Katie Crum and Joanna Ingmire both put down 6 kills each. Lisa Barry and Ellie Stutzman both had 12 assists each. Joanna Ingmire had an amazing 11 aces and Aly Woodbury had 7 aces. The team had 35 kills, 28 assists, 22 aces, 45 digs and 3 solos blocks.

The final pool play game was against Vennard College from University Park, IA. MCC took the match 30-4, 30-16, 30-16. Jen McGauley switched to outside hitter for this match and led the team with 7 kills. Rachel Brown and Katie Crum both put down 6 kills each. Lisa Barry had 19 assists and 10 aces. Ellie Stutzman and Jen McGauley both had 9 aces each. The team finished with 36 kills, 28 assist, 46 aces and 17 digs.

The championship match was against Ozark Christian College, the defending Regional Champions. MCC yet again dominated the match, winning 30-21, 30-9, 30-12 to take the Pre-Regional Tournament. Joanna Ingmire played an amazing game putting down 19 kills, 3 aces and 8 digs. Rachel Brown had 10 kills, 3 digs and 1 solo block. Aly Woodbury had 7 kills, 3 aces, 5 digs and 2 block assists. MCC finished with 48 kills, 42 assists, 12 aces, 82 digs, 3 solo blocks and 4 block assists.

The Lady Crusaders travel to Grace University and Nebraska Christian College this weekend.

----

Lady Crusaders Dominate Union College

9/4/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - The Lady Crusaders showed up ready to play, defeating Union College 30-14, 30-23 and 30-21. MCC was lead by sophomore middle hitter Katie Crum with 9 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs, 1 solo block and 2 block assists. Rachel Brown and Joanna Ingmire pitched in with 7 kills each. Sophomore libero Jen McGauley had 32 digs, 3 kills and 2 aces. Ellie Stutzman lead the offense with 20 assists and freshmen setter Lisa Barry chipped in with 17 assists. The entire bench was able to play during the three games. The team finished with 45 kills, 38 assists, 11 aces, 72 digs, 2 solo blocks and 4 block assists.

This weekend the Lady Crusaders travel to Joplin, MO for the Central Pre-Region Classic. MCC is currently ranked #2 in the region based on last years standing.

----

MCC Wins 1st Place at Great Lakes Christian College Classic

9/1/2007
LANSING, MI - Over Labor Day weekend, the Lady Crusaders traveled to Lansing, MI to participate in the Great Lakes Christian College Classic. MCC was in a pool with Lincoln Christian College, Northland Baptist Bible College and Grace Bible College. The Lady Crusaders kicked off the tournament with a 4 game win over Lincoln Christian College from Lincoln, IL. Lincoln has been a strong program for many years, finishing in 2nd at the NCCAA National Tournament in 2006. MCC defeated Lincoln 30-24, 28-30, 30-22 and 30-28. Rachel Brown led the offense with 20 kills and 2 blocks. Katie Crum put down 11 kills and 3 blocks. Lisa Barry did a great job setting up 50 assists. The defense was led by Jen McGauley with 38 digs and Joanna Ingmire with 11 digs. The team finished the match with 60 kills, 57 assists, 13 aces, 97 digs, 4 solos blocks and 4 block assists.

The second pool play match of the day was against Grace Bible College from Grand Rapids, MI. Grace was no match for MCC. The Lady Crusaders defeated Grace in 3 games, winning 30-18, 30-26 an 30-20. Katie Crum was unstoppable in the front row with 17 kills. Ashley Wheeler played a great game with 10 kills, 4 aces and 7 digs. In her first match as a libero, Halie Brown had 24 digs. Lisa Barry led the offense with 42 assists. The team had 51 kills, 44 assists, 12 aces, 61 digs, and 2 solo blocks.

The third and final match of pool play was against Northland Baptist Bible College from Dunbar, WI, who finished 10th in the nation in 2006. Northland came out ready to play taking the first game 25-30. However, the Lady Crusaders refocused and took the match, winning the next three games 30-23, 30-28 and 30-28. Rachel Brown finished with 21 kills and 1 block. Ellie Stutzman had 11 kills, 47 assists, 3 aces, 16 digs and 2 blocks. Aly Woodbury and Katie Crum both had 9 kills each. Joanna Ingmire had 6 kills and 15 digs. Jen McGauley led the back row with 6 kills and 47 digs. The team finished with 67 kills, 55 assists, 5 aces, 107 digs, 5 solo blocks and 4 block assists. With this win, the Lady Crusader took first in their pool.

The second day of the tournament started with MCC taking on the #2 team of the other pool, Rochester College. Rochester College is a USCAA scholarship team from Rochester, MI. MCC took control of the match early and defeated Rochester 30-24, 34-32, 30-20. Rachel Brown had 13 kills and 5 digs. Joanna Ingmire had 9 kills, 1 ace and 17 digs. Ellie Stutzman and Aly Woodbury both had 8 digs. Katie Crum and Laura Skiles both had 6 kills. Jen McGauley had 4 kills, 3 aces and 29 digs. The team had 55 kills, 46 assists, 11 aces, 80 digs and 8 block assists. The Lady Crusaders were now onto the Championship game!

The Championship game was against Philadelphia Biblical University, from Langhorne, PA. PBU finished #9 in the nation in 2006. MCC defeated PBU to win the tournament 30-26, 30-22, 30-22. Rachel Brown had 14 kills. Joanna Ingmire had 11 kills, 17 digs and 3 block assists. Jen McGauley had 25 digs, 1 kill and 1 aces. The team finished with 49 kills, 36 assists, 7 aces, 68 digs, 1 solo block and 10 block assists.

All the Lady Crusaders played very well all weekend. Rachel Brown and Ellie Stutzman were both voted onto the All-Tournament Team.

Upcoming games for the Lady Crusaders are Tuesday, September 4 versus Union College, from Lincoln, NE. The team will then travel to Joplin, MO to participate in the Central Pre-Region Tournament, September 7-8. MCC finished second in the region last season. MCC hopes to take the Pre-Region tournament to be seeded #1 in the Region.

----

MCC Defeats Sterling College, Falls to Bethany in 5

8/28/2007
MANHATTAN, KS - This evening the Lady Crusaders took on two NAIA opponents, Sterling College and Bethany College. The night started with the game against Sterling. MCC came out strong in the first two games winning 30-23, 30-26. Sterling battled back in the third winning 26-30 but it wasn't enough. In the fourth game, MCC finished the match winning 30-23. Rachel Brown played a great game with 14 kills and 2 block assists. Katie Crum, Ellie Stutzman, Jen McGauley and Joanna Ingmire had 7 kills each. Jen McGauley led the defense with 34 digs. The team finished with 50 kills, 17 aces, 79 digs, 4 solo blocks and 8 block assists.

Right after the Lady Crusaders great win over Sterling, they took on Bethany College. Again, MCC came out strong, taking the first game 30-25. Bethany fought back and took the next game 21-30. The third game belonged to the Crusaders, winning 30-27. In the end the Crusader could not pull out two wins in one night, Bethany took the fourth game 28-30 and the fifth game 13-15. It was a well played game by both teams. Rachel Brown again led the offense with 16 kills and 2 blocks. Aly Woodbury did an excellent job with down 15 kills, 2 aces, 14 digs and 2 blocks. Ellie Stutzman was close behind with 14 kills, 47 assists, 5 aces, 13 digs and 2 blocks. Jen McGauley was great from the back row with 6 kills, 3 aces and 44 digs. The team had 67 kills, 14 aces, 107 digs, 5 solo blocks and 10 block assists.

----

MCC Defeats Oklahoma Wesleyan

8/21/2007
BARTLESVILLE, OK - The Lady Crusaders opened their 2007 season with a match against an NAIA opponent, Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The Crusaders won the match 30-19, 26-30, 21-30, 30-27 and 16-14.

The team finished the match with 66 kills, 57 assists, 23 aces, 89 digs, 5 solos blocks, and 4 block assists.

Rachel Brown led the team with 19 kills, Ashley Wheeler was right behind her with 18 kills. Joanna Ingmire was next with 12 kills. Lisa Barry did a great job leading the offense with 46 assists. The defense was led by Jen McGauley, with 36 digs. Our serving was excellent over the entire match, Kelsey Drake led the team with 7 aces with Ashley Wheeler right behind with 6.

It was a tough 5 game match and a great way to start the season. Upcoming games this week will be the Alumni Game on Friday, August 24 at 6:00pm. Next week, our home opener will be on Tuesday, August 28 against Sterling College at 4:00 and Bethany College at 7:00. We hope to have great crowds at each game so we will see you there!!

------

Introducing the 2007 Lady Crusaders!

When you come out to the volleyball games this year, you will see something a little different. An entire new team! The team is made up of 3 returnees and 9 new players. The girls have been working hard the past week to gain chemistry to start the season. We are very excited about the prospects for this season.

Our returning players are Juniors, Rachel Brown and Ellie Stutzman and Sophomore, Katie Crum. We are excited to see these three girls lead the team to new heights this year.

We have a wide range of new talent and we are anxious to see what they can do! Here is an introduction to all the new players.

Jen McGauley - a sophomore transfer from Hope International University, in Fullerton, CA. Jen is an all around great player. She will be playing Libero as well as an outside hitter at times. She has a strong presence and leadership on the court to lead our defense.

Halie Brown - a freshmen signee from Roeland Park, KS. Halie will be a defensive specialist. Her experience and great passing will be an excellent addition to the team.

Ashley Wheeler - a freshmen from Glendale, AZ. Ashley has a great spirit and love for the game. She will be playing as an outside hitter for the Crusaders.

Kelsey Drake - a freshmen from Topeka, KS. Kelsey is an extremely hard worker. She is smart and competitive and it shows on the court. She will be playing as a defensive specialist and an outside hitter.

Joanna Ingmire - a senior from Manhattan, KS. Joanna is returning after several years to finish her volleyball career. She will be playing as an outside and middle hitter. Her experience and leadership will be a great addition to the team.

Aly Woodbury - a freshmen signee from Topeka, KS. Aly is a great all around player. She will be playing as a right side hitter for the Crusaders. She is an excellent blocker and attacker.

Emily Hartter - a freshmen from Effingham, KS. Emily will be playing as a defensive specialist for MCC. Emily has an excitement and intensity that is contagious to the whole team. She will be a great addition to the back row.

Laura Skiles - a freshmen from Hillsboro, KS. Laura comes to us from the rowing team at Kansas State University. She is very strong and athletic. She will be playing on the outside and middle. She is very intense and is improving every day!

Lisa Barry - a freshmen from Olathe, KS. Lisa will be a setter and a defensive specialist. Lisa will be expected to jump in very quickly and lead the offense for the first part of the season. She is very willing to learn and a hard worker. We are excited to see what she can do!

We hope you will all come out and support your new Lady Crusaders!!