The quest for a repeat championship for the Park University women’s volleyball ended last month.
Park made the 16-team single-elimination bracket after a perfect run through pool play in the NAIA Volleyball National Championships held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Pirates opened bracket play with a three-set sweep over Corban (Ore.) University but then lost to No. 24 Westmont (Calif.) College in the quarterfinals, losing in five sets.
Westmont won the deciding set, 15-13, capping a string of wins in three straight sets.
Park ended the season with a 32-4 record and were No. 5 in the final poll of the season.
Nada Meawad had 21 kills and Platte County graduate Maren Roper had 11 kills for the Pirates in the Corban win, while Meawad had 27 and Roper accounted for 14 kills against Westmont.
The Pirates entered as the overall No. 1 seed after posting a 28-3 record this season. The Pirates had little issues in pool play, going 3-0.
Park wrapped up pool play on Thursday, Dec. 5 with a 3-0 sweep against No. 16-ranked Oklahoma City, which entered 33-1.
Margherita Marconi had 38 assists for the Pirates, while Meawad had 16 kills and 12 digs.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Park posted a 3-1 win against No. 17-ranked University of Providence (Mont.)
PARK ATHLETICS
Park’s Nada Meawad (4) spikes the ball during a match at the NAIA National Championship last month in Sioux City, Iowa.
Celina Monteiro moved into the top spot for career digs during the win against Providence on Wednesday with 1,852 digs.
Pool play opened with a 3-1 win against Morningside (Iowa) College, which was the host school and had a 16-11 record.
To become the top seed in the country in the national tournament, the volleyball team swept previous No. 1-ranked Missouri Baptist in the American Midwest Conference Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 30.
At the conclusion of the championships, three Park players received national honors.
Meawad was a first-team All-American for the third straight year, while Monteiro was a second-team pick and Roper was a third-team selection. Monteirow as also named the NAIA AVCA National Defender of the Year.
Meawad had 109 kills during the tournament, the most of any player. The junior is 66 kills away from being the all-time leader in Park history. Wanessa Siqueira is the current record holder at 1,456.
Monteiro finished with 1,927 digs, a new school record and finished ninth in NAIA with 5.99 digs per set. Her 719 this season is a single-season record for Park.