NAIA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tyson Events Center – Sioux City, Iowa – Dec. 2-6
Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. PT: #17 SOU vs. #8 Columbia (Mo.) – Live Stats
Wednesday, 11 a.m. PT: #17 SOU vs. #4 Texas Brownsville – Live Stats
Thursday, 11 a.m. PT: #17 SOU vs. #21 Vanguard – Live Stats
Watch live on NAIANetwork.com ($20 tournament package)
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Complete Tournament Schedule

ASHLAND – Southern Oregon will bring a different kind of team on its third trip since 2010 to Sioux City, Iowa, for the NAIA Volleyball Championships, according to head coach Josh Rohlfing.

The 17^th-ranked Raiders are also in a different kind of four-team pool than they've ever been thrown assigned before, alongside the defending NAIA champion as well as the most decorated team in the tournament's history.

SOU (23-5 overall), making its eighth all-time appearance in the tournament (and seventh at the final site), is guaranteed at least three matches this week at the Tyson Events Center, as are the 23 other teams that advanced. The Raiders start on Tuesday with No. 8 Columbia (Mo.) (33-5), a three-time champ making its 21^st straight appearance; then on Wednesday play No. 4 Texas Brownsvile (29-4), which went undefeated in 2013; and on Thursday have their second meeting this season with No. 21 Vanguard (Calif.) (23-11) after sweeping the first one.

There are six total pools, and the top two teams from each pool will move on to single-elimination play on Friday and Saturday. In the event of a tie within the pools, a one-set tiebreaker will decide who advances.

"I feel like ours might be the pool of the tournament, and it's definitely going to test our mettle," Rohlfing said. "But this is probably the top team we've brought here in terms of sheer athleticism. Whether we can show the skill and mental capacity to come out and put that to work against these teams will be interesting to watch."

SOU made it to Iowa by sweeping College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in an opening-round home match on Nov. 22, 25-17, 25-15 and 25-14. The Raiders went 16-2 to win a share of the Cascade Conference regular-season title but took an at-large bid into the NAIA tournament after bowing out in the semifinals of the CCC tournament.

The Raiders' last appearance in Iowa, in 2011, was the first time they'd ever gotten out of pool play. Rohlfing has recently become increasingly optimistic about their chances of doing it again this week.

"I'm really amazed at the level this team has stepped up to over the last 10 days," he said. "It's almost like there was a feeling of relief when we got done with conference stuff. That match against Ozarks was probably our best volleyball of the year, and it started feeling like we were playing with a new sense of purpose and a new urgency, which is exciting. There's a lot of potential to do something special."

COLUMBIA COLLEGE
From: Columbia, Mo.
Enrollment: 1,080
Conference: American Midwest (3^rd, 10-2)
At a glance: The Cougars – who last won a title in 2001 and have been runners-up two of the last four years – finished third in their conference but were behind the Nos. 2 (Park, Mo.) and 6 (Missouri Baptist) teams in the NAIA… They haven't played a match since getting swept by Missouri Baptist in the AMC semifinals on Nov. 13 – a loss that snapped a win streak of 13… Their roster consists of players from Brazil, Bosnia, Canada, China, France, Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine… Polina Severina, a 6-foot-5 opposite hitter from Moscow, averages 2.7 kills per set on a .305 attacking average… As a team, Columbia has the second-most service aces in the NAIA (296) and ranks sixth in attacking average (.272)… Lydie van Deursen, a setter from Velden, Netherlands, ranks seventh in assists per set (10.98) and 26^th in aces (0.47).
Rohlfing on the Cougars: "They're physical, they're tall, and it's going to be an interesting matchup both ways with the size and quickness differentials. They're very dynamic in the middle and do some things we've struggled to defend this year but I think we've sewn up lately."

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE
From: Brownsville, Tex.
Enrollment: 8,100
Conference: Red River Athletic (1^st, 13-0)
Here's a thing: Despite winning two of the last three titles, the Brownsville program will be no more after this year – nor will the school. Brownsville is merging with Texas-Pan American to create a new university, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, and only Pan American's NCAA Division I programs will be maintained (Brownsville athletes will get a "tryout" opportunity). A similar thing happened at head coach Todd Lowery's last gig at National American University in Rapid City (S.D.), where he won an NAIA title in 2006 and the school dropped volleyball in 2007.
At a glance: The Ocelots have also pulled from all parts of the world – including Brazil, Columbia, Czech Republic, Puerto Rico and Serbia – to build their juggernaut. They'll also have been off for over two weeks, last playing and sweeping in the RRAC tourney championship match on Nov. 15 against Our Lady of the Lake… The Ocelots – whose four losses were all against top-11 teams – are third in the NAIA with a .297 attacking average and 18^th at 2.29 blocks per set… Bojana Mitrovic, Vanja Joksic and Annelies Dokter are all 6-1, all from foreign countries, and all average over 2.5 kills per set… Heather Meeuwsen, the only American in the rotation, is a libero from Hillsboro who averages 4.8 digs per set.
Rohlfing on the Ocelots: "They're what you expect – physical and one of the more dynamic teams we've seen. They've been a little more difficult in terms of scouting but we'll watch them on the first day of the tournament. Just like Columbia, it's a roster filled with foreign-born athletes so they have incredible experience on the roster. These players have the ability to compete in their home countries at a high level in thousands of matches."

VANGUARD UNIVERSITY
From: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Enrollment: 1,400
Conference: Golden State Athletic (3^rd, 11-5)
At a glance: SOU and Vanguard met in the Raiders' third match of the season on Aug. 22, and SOU came away with a 27-25, 25-20, 25-17 sweep as Motade Atanda (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) and Paulla Pinheiro (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Farias Brito) combined for 23 kills and Emma Gasman (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan) assisted 12 blocks… The Lions come from another tough conference, finishing only behind No. 3 Concordia (Calif.) and No. 4 Biola (Calif.)… They rank 21^st in the NAIA in hitting average (.227) and are holding opponents to a .162 clip… Jessica Chase puts up 2.36 kills on a .186 average and Sarah McKinny is hitting .310 in the middle with 2.03 kills per set…  The Lions were also placed in the same pool as SOU in 2011 and lost the matchup in four sets. They made it out of pool play for the first and only time in 2008.
Rohlfing on the Lions: "Up until recently our match against them was the best we played all season. They're very good with balance throughout the lineup. Until we get to that match we won't know what it means, but hopefully we're playing for something."

SOU NOTES
Stay hot, 'Tade: Senior outside hitter Motade Atanda (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) is hitting .261 over her last five matches, and prior to that stretch she was hitting .185 on the season. She's recorded at least 15 kills in 12 of her last 14 matches and finished as the CCC leader in conference play at 4.3 per set.

Killjoys: As a team, the Raiders still rank second in the NAIA with 2.79 blocks per set and opponents are attacking at a dismal .130 average. Sophomore middle Emma Gasman (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan) leads the way and is 10^th in the NAIA with 1.2 blocks per set –up considerably from her average of 0.88 last season. Gasman also finished fourth in CCC play with a .303 attacking average and ranked 10^th at 2.6 kills per set. Sam Boehnke (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) helped in the blocks department with 1.0 per set, good for 50^th in the nation.

Cole season: All-conference senior libero Brookelynn Cole (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) has totaled 555 digs this year with an average of 5.2 per set. Even if she only plays three more matches, she could still break Kristen Lilly's single-season Raider record of 619 digs (established in 2004) by averaging a little over 21 per match.

Paulla Pinheiro (Fortaleza, Brazil/Colegio Farias Brito) was a well-deserving repeat on the All-CCC team, as she was the only player to rank among the league leaders in kills (3.31/set), aces (0.41/set) and digs (3.01/set). Lauren McGowne (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) received honorable mention, as her 10.4 assists per set are 16^th in the NAIA despite the average being dragged down recently while she's shared setting duties with Tyana Andrews (Rochester, Wash./Centralia).