Sioux City, Iowa – The Marian volleyball team needed five sets to find their 35th win of the season, digging deep to pull out a thrilling victory over Concordia in the NAIA National Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday night. Marian won both the first and third sets, taking the fifth set 15-12 to advance to the NAIA National Semifinals. The Knights exit the quarterfinal round with an overall record of 35-2.

Marian couldn’t have asked for a better start in the first set, opening the night on a 5-2 clip paced by two Averi Lanman kills. Concordia would come within a point, but a service error helped spark another Marian spree as Jai-Lyn Norwood and Lanman pushed the Knights to a 10-6 lead. After a timeout, the lead grew to six following a block and two kills from Lanman, and Norwood soon made it a 17-12 game, but the Bulldogs found their park going on a 7-1 run to take a 19-18 lead. Skyler Van Note ended the run, and Marian took a 22-21 lead after getting two more blocks and another kill from Lanman.

Concordia would go ahead 23-22, but Marian soon battled to set point-scoring two straight to go up 24-23. The Knights were unable to close though as a Gabi Nordaker kill brought the set to a 24-24 tie. Lanman, Norwood, and Van Note each recorded two kills as the set continued to go on, but after Lanman’s seventh kill in the opening set, the senior put away the set winning 30-28.

The second set was as competitive as the first, with the two teams trading punches as the game dragged to a 10-10 tie. The Bulldogs broke the tie and ran in front with three straight points, but a kill from Van Note and back-to-back blocks ignited a 5-1 run, putting the Knights ahead 15-14. After a timeout, the score moved to a tie twice, but after a Norwood and Madison Brooks block gave Marian a 17-16 lead, Concordia answered with back-to-back points. Marian was able to tie the set and come within one twice, however, Concordia’s lead remained intact as they ended the second set with a 25-21 win.

In the third set, Marian initially broke the set open with a 4-0 run, turning a 4-5 deficit into an 8-5 lead after a Norwood solo block and Van Note kill. The lead didn’t stick long, as the Bulldogs retaliated with a 6-0 run, prompting a timeout. A ball-handling error on Concordia gave Marian the side out after the stoppage and helped Marian go on a 5-1 run to take a 13-12 lead. The lead grew to four after the seniors Sarah Spangler and Van Note added to their kill totals, and back-to-back points from Michaela Hoffa gave the Knights a 19-14 lead. Concordia called for their final timeout, doing nothing to slow down the Knights as Spangler started a 6-5 finishing sprint, ending the third set 25-19 on a Maggie Meyer service ace.

With a 2-1 lead in the match, Marian started the fourth set strong going up 3-1 over the first four rallies, seeing their lead stay steady at two points. A Lanman kill put Marian ahead 9-7, and the lead stayed in Marian’s hands until the Bulldogs tied the set at 13-13. Norwood gave Marian the lead, and after yielding two points a pair of Van Note kills gave Marian a 17-15 edge. Concordia used a timeout, and it worked in their favor as the Bulldogs scored five unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead. Marian slowly chipped back to a one-point deficit, with Van Note and Hoffa adding to the lead. An attack error soon brought the set to a draw at 24-24, but Marian was unable to carry their momentum with Concordia scoring the final two points to win 26-24.

Marian responded after dropping the fourth set with a strong open to the fifth, as Norwood and Hoffa scored four of the first five points for the Knights to grab a 5-1 lead. After a timeout, Spangler roped a kill to cushion the lead. The point was needed, as the Bulldogs scored on five of six rallies to come within a point, but the run was snapped after back-to-back blocking efforts led by Norwood. Concordai once again charged, digging out of the 9-7 hole with a 3-0 run to go up by one point, but Brooks quickly tied the set with a kill. A Van Note kill gave Marian the side out they needed, and Marian gained control going on a 4-1 run. Spangler put the Knights up 14-12, and after a timeout, Lanman ended the match how it started with a kill, giving Marian the victory with the 15-12 deciding set.

The Knights had a balanced offense with four players recording double-digit kill totals, led by Van Note’s 17 kills. Van Note also tied her career-high in digs with 27, notching her fifth straight double-double. Spangler had 14 kills and three block assists, while Norwood had 12 kills and team-leading eight total blocks. Lanman finished with 10 kills and seven blocks. Lexi Spence led Marian’s setters with a career-high 40 assists, adding nine digs and two kills to her totals. Meyer had a career-high 33 digs, and Alison Dreves had 15 digs. Katie Hardegree ended one dig short of a double-double, ending with 22 assists and nine digs.

With the win, Marian advances to the NAIA Tournament Semifinals, where the Knights will take on Missouri Baptist. The matchup features the last two NAIA National Champions and is the second-ever meeting between the two schools. First, serve is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.