Trailblazers Conclude Strong Season at Midwest District Championship

PARK HILLS, Mo. – The Vincennes University Women's Volleyball team capped another successful season Saturday with a hard-fought showing at the NJCAA Midwest District B Championship, hosted by Mineral Area College. The Trailblazers finish the 2025 campaign with a 30–10 overall record, highlighted by the Region 24 regular-season championship, a Region 24 Tournament runner-up finish, and a berth in the Midwest District Championship — marking another strong season under 10th-year Head Coach Gary Sien.

Quarterfinal – VU Sweeps Frontier to Open District Play

The Trailblazers opened district play in dominant fashion, sweeping Frontier Community College 3–0 (25–22, 25–23, 25–23) to advance to the semifinals. VU controlled the net throughout, hitting .221 as a team while holding Frontier to .205.

Freshman Paulina Krawczyk was a force in the middle, leading the way with 10 kills on 17 swings (.529) and six block assists, while freshman Taryn Thuis added nine kills on 15 attacks (.600) with six block assists. Freshman Kenli Sullivan finished with eight kills, 10 digs, and two aces, and sophomore Rylee Edwards handed out 17 assists with nine digs.

Playing without freshman libero Adaline Eisenmann (injury), freshman Allie Robinson stepped into the role and led the team with 13 digs, providing steady leadership and control in the back row.

"We had a very good match against Frontier," Sien said. "They're always a tough, scrappy team that plays great defense, but we responded well. Paulina was outstanding in the middle, and Taryn did a great job stepping into a new position on the right side. We made smart adjustments and executed when we needed to."

Semifinal – Trailblazers Fall to Host Mineral Area

In the semifinal match, the Trailblazers faced host Mineral Area College, a team ranked No. 15 nationally, and fell 3–1 (25–10, 25–9, 25–27, 25–16) to close their season. Despite a slow start, VU rallied to take the third set and battled deep into the fourth before the Cardinals pulled away late.

Sullivan led with 10 kills and eight digs, Krawczyk added nine kills (.250), Thuis posted seven kills and three blocks, and sophomore Martyna Sadowska had eight kills. Edwards tallied 24 assists and eight digs, while freshman Scarlet Konkel finished with 7 assists and 1 dig. In the continued absence of libero Eisenmann, Robinson again anchored the back row with 10 digs.

"Mineral Area really came out strong and took us out of system early," Sien said. "We made too many errors to stay in rhythm in those first two sets, but I was proud of how we battled back in the third and didn't stop competing. When we passed better, we were able to run our offense and score points."

Season Reflection

Sien reflected on the team's year with pride, noting the growth of a young roster that handled adversity and maintained the program's championship standard.

"We've dealt with a lot of adversity this season, from injuries to lineup changes, but this group never stopped fighting," Sien said. "We've had as many as six freshmen on the floor at once, and they gained valuable experience that's going to pay off. This was one of the youngest teams we've had in years, and the future is very bright."