JAMESTOWN, N.D. (JimmieAthletics.com) – The eighth-ranked University of Jamestown volleyball team punched its ticket to the NAIA National Championship, defeating College of Saint Mary (Neb.) 3-0 Saturday night at Harold Newman Arena to capture its first-ever Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason championship.
Jamestown (29-4) will advance directly Sioux City, Iowa, for the 40th Annual NAIA Volleyball National Championship December 3-7. Saint Mary (24-14) will find out Monday if they qualify for one of the at-large bids.
Corina Ruud (JR/Breezy Point, Minn.) had 10 kills for UJ while Jordan Thomas (SR/Pingree, N.D.) and Britta Knudson (SR/Bismarck, N.D.) added nine each. Thomas (.533) and Knudson (.529) combined to make only one error in 32 attempts.
Miranda Lowman (SR/Mandan, N.D.) had 18 assists while Jackie Meiklejohn (SO/Dickey, N.D.) finished with 17, helping the Jimmies outhit the Flames .222-.099.
Anna Holen (SO/LaMoure, N.D.) (15) and Sydney Ellingson (JR/Langdon, N.D.) (11) racked up double-figure dig totals while Hannah Schiele (SO/Jamestown, N.D.) added eight.
Knudson was in on seven total blocks including two solo. Taylor Sabinash (SO/Kensal, N.D.) had five block assists and Ruud had a solo block to go along with three block assists.
CSM had 40 kills to UJ’s 39, but the Jimmies were aided by 27 attack errors and seven service errors by the Flames. UJ had 15 attack errors in 108 attempts.
Here's the championship point for @UJVolleyball against CSM; video by @MichaelSavaloja & audio from @SteveLinzmo #GoJimmies #JimmiePride pic.twitter.com/ncs7yxK53i
— #GoJimmies (@JimmieAthletics) November 17, 2019