West Texas A&M Defeats Grand Valley State in the Elite 8
By: Lee K. Howard
Updated: November 30, 2007
WASHBURN, Kan. – West Texas A&M topped Grand Valley State in five games in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Topeka, Kan.
The Lady Buffs (36-7) advanced to the semifinals and ended the Lakers season by posting wins in games two, three and five (27-30, 30-24, 30-27, 26-30, 22-20). After taking games two and three, WTAMU rallied to take their first lead at 13-12 in the deciding game before eventually putting GVSU away.
The fifth game included 10 tie scores and three lead changes before a Sara Contreras service ace and Melissa Harper kill ended the match. Harper led the Lady Buffs with 19 kills while hitting .405. Laura Prinsen, Kelly Culley, Natalie Johnson and Lauren Thedford each added double-digit kill totals as well. Katie Rickwartz had 63 set assists as the team hit .250.
Contreras and Culley led the defensive effort with 31 digs and six block assists, respectively. WTAMU will face Concordia-St. Paul in the semifinals tomorrow, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. The Golden Bears advanced with a 3-0 win over California (Pa.).
The Lady Buffs (36-7) advanced to the semifinals and ended the Lakers season by posting wins in games two, three and five (27-30, 30-24, 30-27, 26-30, 22-20). After taking games two and three, WTAMU rallied to take their first lead at 13-12 in the deciding game before eventually putting GVSU away.
The fifth game included 10 tie scores and three lead changes before a Sara Contreras service ace and Melissa Harper kill ended the match. Harper led the Lady Buffs with 19 kills while hitting .405. Laura Prinsen, Kelly Culley, Natalie Johnson and Lauren Thedford each added double-digit kill totals as well. Katie Rickwartz had 63 set assists as the team hit .250.
Contreras and Culley led the defensive effort with 31 digs and six block assists, respectively. WTAMU will face Concordia-St. Paul in the semifinals tomorrow, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. The Golden Bears advanced with a 3-0 win over California (Pa.).
