Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist volleyball program opened national tournament play with a five set victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God (25-16, 25-16, 22-25, 26-28, and 15-11) Saturday afternoon inside Pucket Field House. 

With the win, Central improves to 29-7 and advances to the Final Site for the fourth-straight season. The Lions end their season with a 26-9 record. 

The Eagles made quick work in the first two sets, winning sets one and two by identical scores fof 25-16. However, SAGU battled back in sets three and four to push the match to a fifth and decisive final set.

Central jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the fifth, and and ultimately cruised to a 15-11 victory. 

Callie Henson led the offense with 14 kills followed by Jordan Wolfe with 12. Rebecca Neighbors finished the afternoon with 10 kills while Delaney Miller added nine. 

Gabi Owczarek led the setters with a team-high 20 assists, while Yenne Schepers added 17 and Marina Alonso dished out 11. 

The duo of Krystal Brauner and Annabelle Maassen tallied double-digit digs, as Brauner recorded 24 and Maassen 15. 

As a team, the Eagles held SAGU to .092 hitting percentage which included 39 attack errors. Wolfe led the defense with nine blocks while Miller added eight, and both Henson and Hannah Marcee tallied six. 

Central will now await to find out its Pool Play opponents, which will be announced Sunday, Nov. 21 at 5:00 p.m. on naia.org. This year's Final Site will once again be held in Sioux City, Iowa with pool play beginning Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Tyson Events Center.

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