The Central Methodist volleyball program began their national championship tournament run with a four-set win over Bethel (Ind.) in their first match of pool play Tuesday night in Sioux City, Iowa. 

Central then went on to face Eastern Oregon on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the Round of 16. The Pilots conclude their season with a 25-8 overall record. 

In the first set, the Eagles scored the first five points. Bethel was quick to respond, tying the set at 10-10, and then scoring five of the next six points. Central was able to trim the lead, but Bethel went on a 9-4 run to take the first set by a score of 25-18. 

The Eagles bounced back in the following set. In set two, the lead went back and forth for the first 10 points until Central went on a 21-11 run to take the second set 25-17. Tied at 1-1, BC quickly matched Central's intensity and took a 9-7 lead early in set three. Both sides continued to exchange points and remained even at 20-20. CMU would go on to claim five of the next six points to earn a 25-21 set three win. 

The Eagles then cruised to a 25-19 victory in set four, taking the match 3-1 and advancing to day two of pool play. 

Senior Jordan Wolfe led the Eagles with 14 kills and a .270 hitting percentage. Senior Grace Stumbaugh followed, hitting .250 with 11 kills on 28 swings. She also recorded three solo blocks.

Freshman Delaney Miller picked up two solo blocks and six block assists, while junior Elise Hardesty-Irvin dished out 23 assists. Junior Marina Alonso  picked up 12 assists. Defensively, sophomore Krystal Brauner collected 20 digs followed by freshman Annabelle Maassen with 14 and Alonso with 10.

The Eagles then moved on to face  Eastern Oregon Wednesday, April 28 in the final game of pool play.

There, the Central Methodist volleyball team saw its season come to an end as the Eagles fell to Eastern Oregon in straight sets (25-18, 25-11, 25-12) in their final match of pool play at the NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa. 

Central concluded its season with a 15-7 overall record, including a conference tournament championship appearance and its third straight trip to the national tournament. Eastern Oregon improves to 19-1 and advances to the quarterfinals. 

Senior Jordan Wolfe led the Eagle offense with six kills while sophomore Callie Henson chipped in five. Freshmen Annabelle Maassen, and Delaney Miller, along with senior Grace Stumbaugh added three kills apiece. 

On the defensive side, the sophomore duo of  Krystal Brauner and Shea Luby each collected 11 digs, while Luby, Maassen, and Miller each recorded three block assists. 

Junior Marina Alonso dished out a team-high 10 assists and Elise Hardesty-Irvin recorded eight.