Lady Tigers to play for national title in Iowa

Make it 41 in a row! The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Cowley College volleyball team will try to finish off the first undefeated season in school history when they face third-seeded Parkland College (IL) in the championship match at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, IA. The Lady Tigers advanced to the title game by defeating fourth-seeded Johnson County 25-15, 25-23, 25-21 Friday in the semifinal match played at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse.

As has been the case in each match Cowley has played at the national tournament, the Lady Tigers dominated Johnson County from the opening set. Leading 9-5 in set one, Cowley would score the next six points to take a commanding 15-5 lead. An ace by Rachele Tessari would give Cowley a 25-15 win of the opening set.

The Cavaliers (31-7) made things tough on Cowley in set two as they led 15-11 before the Lady Tigers' rallied to take the lead by scoring the next five straight points. With the score tied 23-23, Cowley would get back-to-back kills from Laci Beougher and Tessari to win 25-23.

Cowley faced some adversity again in set three, trailing all the way up to 17-13 following back-to-back aces by the Cavaliers. A timeout by Cowley head coach Steven Gream sparked the Lady Tigers as they came out of the timeout a refocused group. Cowley would out-score Johnson County 12-4 the rest of the way as they punched their ticket to the national championship match.

Cowley will attempt to win its first national championship since 2013 and the third title in the program's history. To do so, Cowley will need to defeat the Parkland Cobras which are 55-3 on the season.