Trailblazers Fall in Region 24 Championship

MATTOON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Women's Volleyball team's bid for a fifth consecutive Region 24 Championship came up just short Sunday afternoon, as the top-seeded Trailblazers fell to #3 seed Lake Land College 3–1 (25–19, 25–20, 25–27, 29–27) in the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament Championship at Lake Land College. The loss moved VU's record to 29–9 overall.

Lake Land used its home-court advantage to take early control, building quick leads in each of the first two sets before the Trailblazers rallied to extend the match. VU showed resilience late, winning the third set 27–25 and narrowly missing a comeback in a tightly contested fourth.

Kenli Sullivan and Paulina Krawczyk powered the Trailblazers offensively, combining for 35 of the team's 51 kills and 39.5 total points. Sullivan posted 17 kills, hit .327, and added 12 digs and two aces, while Krawczyk tallied 18 kills and hit .300 for the match. Taryn Thuis contributed nine kills and five block assists, and Martyna Sadowska chipped in seven kills and five block assists.

Setter Rylee Edwards distributed 30 assists and collected 17 digs, while Adaline Eisenmann and Allie Robinson anchored the defense with 13 digs apiece. Scarlet Konkel added five assists and 10 digs, and Nicole De La Cruz tallied six points behind her strong serving and net presence.

Head Coach Gary Sien credited Lake Land's execution but praised his team's persistence. "We just started off very slow and let them dictate the pace of the first two sets," Sien said. "We had some good moments but couldn't quite sustain it early. Still, I thought we played hard and didn't quit. We fought back to win the third set and came close to forcing a fifth, which says a lot about our character."

Sien said the adjustments made midway through the match gave the Blazers a chance to rally. "Our blocking really started to come together in the third and fourth sets, and that helped us score more consistently," he said. "Against a team playing as well as Lake Land was, we needed more offensive balance, but I'm proud of how we kept competing. We've been in this region a long time, and this is our seventh championship appearance in the last eight years — that kind of consistency speaks volumes about the program."

While the Trailblazers' streak of Region 24 titles ended, Sien emphasized that the team's postseason goals remain alive. "Not winning means we won't host, so now we'll go to Mineral Area for the Midwest District," he said. "It's disappointing, but there's still a lot to play for. The team's worked hard all year, and we're excited for the chance to compete for a spot at nationals."

As the Trailblazers now turn their attention to the NJCAA Midwest District B Championship, set for November 7–8 at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri, with a trip to nationals on the line, they will face a familiar opponent in Frontier Community College on Friday, November 7, at 12:00 p.m ET. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with VU winning 3–1 at home (August 23) and Frontier earning a 3–1 victory (October 13) on their home floor.

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