SIOUX CITY, Iowa. - The #15 IU Kokomo volleyball team earned a hard-fought four-set win over a scrappy #23 Oklahoma Wesleyan squad, eliminating the Eagles from Pool B and the NAIA National Championship. Senior defensive specialist Alyvia Smith also surpassed 2,000 career digs with her seventh dig of the match.

The Cougars will return to the Tyson Events Center Friday morning to take on #2 Indiana Wesleyan, as the two programs separated by just 28 miles will battle for a spot in the NAIA National Championship Quarterfinals. First-serve is set for 11:00 AM ET.

IU Kokomo showed no signs of jitters early, as the Cougars won the first three points of the match for an early lead. Oklahoma Wesleyan reeled off four-straight points to take their first lead of the match at 10-8. 

A bit later in the set, consecutive kills from Cali Cummings made it a 16-12 IUK lead, forcing an OKWU timeout, but IU Kokomo went on to take the opening set 25-18.

Heather Hayes's squad played from behind for much of the second set, but showed great resiliency when it mattered most. The Cougs trailed 20-17 but battled back to tie the set at 22.

IUK erased two Eagle set-points before a Mia Niekamp kill and an OKWU attack error gave the Cougars a 28-26 set two win. Niekamp and Audrey Strawsma carried the load for the Cougars offensively late in the set. 

After a tightly-contested third-set went the way of the Eagles to make it a 2-1 IU Kokomo lead, the Cougars looked to close the match out in four sets.

Having trailed multiple times in the match, IUK seemed unfazed when trailing by a point or two early in set four. A 4-0 run from the Cougars gave them an 18-16 lead before two Lexi Broyles kills and an attack error from OKWU made it a 21-17 lead. 

IU Kokomo managed to hold off Oklahoma Wesleyan to win set four 25-22 and the match 3-1.

Not only did senior outside hitter Audrey Strawsma floor a kill on match point, but she led the Cougars offensively with 18 kills. Freshman Mia Niekamp recorded 17 kills while Maggie Connell added 15. Lexi Broyles finished with 11 kills.

Setters Kaley Lyons and Allison Richman combined for 65 assists, with Lyons tallying 35 to lead the way. In the match in which she recorded her 2,00th dig, Alyvia Smith finished with a team-high 25 digs, while Julia Sanders had nine digs and both Lyons and Ellie Garland totaled eight.

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.