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Coach Andrea Hudson’s girls gained an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament with the Region XIII title, and will discover what bracket they will play in on Monday, Nov. 22. Nationals are held at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif.
Hudson added, “I am so proud of our girls, especially our seniors. We appreciate all the support from fans. It meant a lot to the girls.”
Lee wasted no time in capturing another region title, putting the Lady Wolfpack away 30-25, 30-11, 30-19. Lee did not drop a game in the tournament and beat LUNO for the second time in two days.
In the final game, Naiara Fernandes had 10 kills and five blocking assists. Bojana Vulin totaled eight kills and Rachel Clinton had seven. Lisa Kidwell had 17 assists and three aces and Katie Thornton chipped in with 12 sets. Bruna Langner contributed an impressive 13 blocking assists and Missy Elser collected 16 digs.
Ashley Cobette had six kills, Kelley Fridge had 12 digs, and Sarah Howard had 22 assists for LUNO, which settled for a region runner-up trophy. Loyola dropped to 21-16.
It was all Lady Flames in the opening match of the day as well. Coach Hudson’s ladies disposed of the visiting Lady Blue Devils 30-16, 30-19, 30-23 to advance to the Region XIII Championship game.
Vulin was once again the leader on the court, smashing 13 kills and collecting an impressive six aces. Her serve was simply dazzling in the three matches, and Dillard’s players barely even got a hand on them. She also collected seven digs and two blocking assists.
Langner was also dominant with 12 kills. Kidwell had 27 assists and Thornton had 20. Elser had 13 digs and three aces, and Daisy Varbanova had five blocking assists, one block, and nine kills.
Ligia Zobolli returned to the court for the first time in well over a month, playing one game and recorded a kill, an ace, and three digs. Coach Hudson commented on her return, noting that “Ligia should be able to play in nationals. She can’t jump, but we will play her in the back row.”
For the Lady Blue Devils, Cicely Ozen had 14 kills and 14 digs, Brittney Neveaux had 24 assists, and Alesha Harris had three aces and seven digs.
