(DENVER) Before this year, PLNU Volleyball had never been invited to the Colorado Premier Challenge, the top NCAA Division II non-conference tournament.
The Sea Lions will surely be welcomed back.
No. 15 Point Loma swept (RV) West Florida in three sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-11) on Saturday night to win the tournament in dominant fashion, completing a perfect trip to Denver.
"We came out here to get pushed and to battle with the best," Head Coach
Jonathan Scott said. "I scheduled this preseason with the end of the season in mind, so that we have more 'big' game experience."
PLNU hit .556 in the opening stanza, setting the tone in the championship match, during which the Sea Lions held the Argonauts to just a .029 attack %, including -.029 in the third and final set.
Point Loma closed the third on a 5-0 run to spark celebrations and cement PLNU's place as one of the top teams in the country, with the Sea Lions beating three ranked opponents and another receiving votes in the tournament.
"I'm really proud of the fight in our girls," Scott said. "They competed hard and it was just a ton of fun this weekend watching them battle."
In the championship,
Abigail Nua led all players in kills (15), blocks (4) and service aces (2), as she was named Tournament MVP.
Nua was joined on the All-Tournament Team by
Macy Reynolds and
Sophia Baugh, who led all players in the final match with 17 digs and 29 assists respectively.
Point Loma booked its spot in the tournament championship after defeating No. 25 Wayne State (25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 25-15) in the semifinals on Saturday morning.
After the sides split the first two sets, back-to-back kills from Nua put PLNU up 2-1 in the match.
The Sea Lions then cruised by double digits in the fourth and final set, ultimately carrying that momentum into the championship.
In the semifinal victory, Nua had 22 kills, with
Ellie Nichols (17 kills),
Kyra Miles (12 kills) and
Saren Rogers (11 kills) also reaching double figures in the category, marking the second time in the tournament that four Sea Lions eclipsed double-digit kills.
Sophia Baugh (60 assists) reached the 60-assist mark for the second straight match, while Reynolds set a new career high with 37 digs.
Point Loma (6-1 overall) returns to California to host Biola on Wednesday in Golden Gym at 6 p.m.
