Box Score KOKOMO, Ind. - The Indiana University Kokomo volleyball team punched their ticket to Sioux City with a 3-1 win over (RV) Morningside Saturday in an NAIA National Championship Opening Round match,

With the win, the Cougars advance to the NAIA National Championship Final Site, where they will be placed in one of eight pools of three teams. IUK will learn of their opponents Sunday evening at 6:00 PM ET.

The Mustangs of Morningside won the first three points of the match, but the Cougars responded emphatically, winning five-straight points for a two-point lead of their own. IUK would extend the lead to five at 9-4, forcing a Mustang timeout.

While Morningside did manage to cut the deficit to one at 12-11, a 9-0 run behind the strong serving of Tori Wilkinson made it a 10-point IUK lead. The Cougars would take set one 25-17.

Morningside opened set two strong as well, jumping out to a 10-6 lead to force a Cougar timeout. IU Kokomo trailed for much of the set, but utilized a 5-0 run to take a 22-20 lead late in the set. IUK had three set points, but the Mustangs held them off before eventually taking the set 28-26.

Looking to bounce back in the most important set of the match, IU Kokomo regained momentum and sparked a raucous crowd by leading 12-6 midway through the third set. Morningside would cut the lead to three on several occasions, but the Cougars went on to win set three 25-15 for a 2-1 lead.

With their season on the line, the Mustangs led 10-7 nearly halfway through the fourth set. IU Kokomo trailed 15-11 before reeling off four-consecutive points to even the set at 15. A 5-0 run made it 20-15 IU Kokomo, but Morningside immediately answered to tie the score at 20. 

Morningside saved one set point to even the set at 24, but huge swings on consecutive points from Audrey Strawsma closed out a 26-24 fourth-set win and 3-1 IUK victory over the Mustangs.

Both Audrey Strawsma and Mia Niekamp recorded 16 kills to lead the Cougar attack, while Maggie Connell added 13 kills. Strawsma also had a match-high five blocks and a pair of aces. Tori Wilkinson had a match-high four aces, as well as service runs of 8-0 and 5-0.

Alyvia Smith led the Cougar back-row with 26 digs and five assists, while Julia Sanders totaled 11 digs. Kaley Lyons had a team leading 27 assists to go along with eight digs, while fellow setter Allison Richman tallied 25 assists.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.