No. 1 Judson and No. 2 St. Ambrose Meet For Women's Volleyball Tourney Title

CHICAGO --- The rematch is set with top-seeded Judson University hosting No. 2 St. Ambrose University for the 2023 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament title on Saturday night after the two teams collected their second straight three-set sweep in the semifinal round on Thursday night.

St. Ambrose (18-14) dealt Judson (23-3) its only league loss of the campaign back on Oct. 26 in a five-set thriller and the Eagles will be seeking revenge at the Lindner Fitness Center on Saturday.  SAU won the previous meeting 17-25, 26-24, 25-17, 12-25, 15-9.

On Thursday, St. Ambrose took down No. 3 Trinity Christian College in three games with Judson doing the same against No. 4 Olivet Nazarene University. 

With its advancement to the title match, St. Ambrose has already notched the conference's second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.  Judson gained the first one by claiming the regular-season title.

Recapping Thursday:

Judson def. Olivet Nazarene 25-22, 25-21, 25-14
Led by Emmaline Davey and Lindsay Paulsen, Judson hit an astounding .320 as a team en route to the win.  Davey recorded a team-best 16 kills against only one error in 23 chances (.652), while Paulsen went 9-0-13 for her .692 mark.  The latter also recorded four blocks.  Lindsay Lawlor averaged 11.7 assists per set in directing the offense.  Kenia Diaz Vega and Kara Wicklund handled defensive responsibilities with 13 and 10 digs, respectively.

St. Ambrose def. Trinity Christian 25-16, 25-19, 26-24
St. Ambrose blocked its way to the championship round with 11 stuffs on the night, highlighted by Meredith Umland's five blocks and Alex Horne's four.  Their play helped limit Trinity Christian to a .026 attack percentage.  The team effort also included a double-double (13 kills, 11 digs) from Mackenzie Grafton, 15 kills and three blocks from Meredith Siebers, 29 assists from Hannah Sondag and 10 digs from Lori Huntley.    

The complete tournament results and remaining schedule follow:

Tuesday, November 7 - First Round
• Match #1: No. 1 Judson def. No. 8 Indiana South Bend 25-9, 25-16, 25-23
• Match #2: No. 4 Olivet Nazarene def. No. 5 St. Francis 25-20. 25-20, 22-25, 25-23
• Match #3: No. 2 St. Ambrose def. No. 7 Roosevelt 25-18, 25-13, 25-23
• Match #4: No. 3 Trinity Christian def. No. 6 Saint Xavier 27-15, 25-14, 25-13

Thursday, November 9 - Semifinal Round
• Match #5: No. 1 Judson def. No. 4 Olivet Nazarene 25-22, 25-21, 25-14
• Match #6: No. 2 St. Ambrose def. No. 3 Trinity Christian 25-16, 25-19, 26-24

Saturday, November 11 – Championship
• Match #7: No. 2 St. Ambrose (18-14) at No. 1 Judson (23-3) --- 7 pm