POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — CIU volleyball's pursuit of a second NCCAA Division I national title in four seasons came to an end Saturday as the Rams fell to Grace College in straight sets in the championship match. The appearance marked the third NCCAA title-match trip in program history.

Grace earned the sweep by set scores of 25-23, 25-22, 25-13, pulling away late in the first two frames before controlling the third.

Freshman outside hitter Mary Norwood capped one of the most dominant postseason runs in CIU history and was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Norwood led CIU with 12 kills in the final and added four digs. Lydia Gustafson, who posted five kills, five blocks, and hit .167, joined her on the All-Tournament Team.

Freshman Eevy Bellar continued her strong championship showing with seven kills on .545 hitting and five total blocks, while Carlee Groeneveld added five kills on .571 hitting. Setter Maria Ferreira finished with 20 assists, two aces, and seven digs.

Defensively, CIU totaled nine team blocks, led by Gustafson's four solo blocks and one block assist. Bellar added one solo block and three block assists, and Zcearia James contributed four block assists. Libero Kelcey Mangum collected 14 digs in her final collegiate match.

Head coach Katie Weiss reflected on the match and the season afterward, saying, "I'm disappointed to end the season this way, I felt like we had commanding leads in both set 1 and 2 but couldn't finish. It's been a beautiful season with this incredible team and I'm excited for the future with such strong underclassmen to lead the way. The seniors have led well and made such a lasting impact on the team and I'm so proud of them."

With the defeat, CIU concludes its season at 28-8. The Rams' senior class leaves as the winningest group in program history, compiling a four-year record of 123-33.