- Press Releases

Atchison, Kan. – Graceland (19-13) got a little payback with a 3-0 (30-28, 30-13, 30-25) win over Benedictine College (13-14) tonight. The Ravens had swept the Yellowjackets in Lamoni on Oct. 31. GU will now advance to the HAAC semi-finals, playing Lindenwood on Wednesday. Game time and location have yet to be announced.

Graceland had an outstanding night at the net as they had a season high .328 hitting percentage. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) pounded out 17 kills for a .343% with five service aces and four total blocks. Lindsay Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev.) had 11 kills, five service aces, 11 digs and hit .417 while Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had nine kills and hit .529.

Lamoni, Iowa – Graceland (18-13) came from behind for a 3-2 (27-30, 29-31, 30-28, 30-16, 15-5) win over William Penn (16-21) tonight. This was the final home match for five Graceland seniors. GU will hit the road, Saturday, November 4, taking on Benedictine College. The HAAC Tournament Quarterfinal match is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m.

William Penn had a few luck breaks at the end of Game 1 and 2 to pull out the victory. In the third game, Graceland seemed in command up 27-22. The Lady Statesmen came back with a 6-1 run to tie it at 28-28. The Yellowjackets then turned two quick spikes to win the game. GU started the fourth game with an 13-3 run and the Jackets were never headed after that.

For William Penn, Cohri Haas had 12 kills, Sheila Mercado had 48 assists and 35 digs while Megan Tucker had 26 digs.

For Graceland, Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 17 kills and 25 digs, MacKenzie Fix (So./Ridgefield, Wash.) had 13 kills, Lindsay Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev.) had five service aces and Savali Ta’amu (Fr./Kent, Wash.) had seven total blocks.

Marshall, Mo. – Graceland (6-3 HAAC, 17-12) bounced back with a 3-0 (30-19, 30-23, 30-23) win over Missouri Valley (2-6 HAAC, 5-15). GU closes out the HAAC season at home, October 28 against Benedictine College. The match is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Graceland just sliced through Missouri Valley. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 15 kills, 16 digs and four service aces. Defensively, Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Education Laboratory School) had 16 digs while Shannon Easter (Sr./Maple Valley, Wash.) had 11 digs.

Lamoni, Iowa – Graceland (16-12) finished 1-2 at the John Brown Tourney this past weekend. GU closes out the road season, Tuesday, Oct. 24 taking on Missouri Valley. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.

Graceland opened the tourney losing 3-0 (30-22, 31-29, 30-25) to Lubbock Christian Friday afternoon. On Saturday, the Yellowjackets swept Wayland Baptist 3-0 (30-22, 30-15, 30-27) and fell 3-1 (31-29, 35-33, 32-34, 30-26) to John Brown.

For the tourney, MacKenzie Fix (So./Ridgefield, Wash./Ridgefield HS) had 30 kills (3.0 per game) and led the team with eight total blocks and a .333 hitting percentage. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 38 kills (3.80 per game), six service aces and led the team with 42 digs (4.20 per game). Jamie Dwyer (Sr./Longmont, Colo./Niwot HS) tallied 66 assists along with six service aces and 30 digs (3.00 per game). Against John Brown, Young notched her 1368th career kill, breaking the school record of 1367 by Emmalee McCoy. Young now has 1382 kills.

Springfield, Mo. –Evangel (4-3 HAAC, 19-12) kept Graceland (5-3 HAAC, 15-10) out of first place with a 3-0 (30-23, 30-21, 30-26) win tonight. GU remains on the road, Friday, Oct. 20, taking on Lubbock Christian at the John Brown Tourney. The match is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.

Graceland struggled at the net hitting .070, the lowest percentage of the season. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) led GU with eight kills and 14 digs while Stephanie Hamman (Jr./St. Joseph, Mo) and Jamie Dwyer (Sr./Longmont, Colo./Niwot HS) had three service aces each. Young became the fourth Yellowjacket to record 1300 career digs. She has 1310 in her career. Young also needs just 23 kills to break the career record of 1367 by Emmalee McCoy.

Lamoni, Iowa –Graceland (5-2 HAAC, 15-9) got back on the right track with a 3-1 (30-26, 31-29, 21-30, 30-20) win over William Jewell (5-2 HAAC, 14-9) tonight. The win put the Yellowjackets tied for 2nd in the HAAC. GU hits the road, Thursday, Oct. 19, taking on Evangel. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had a solid match with 19 kills, four service aces and 23 digs while Savali Ta’amu (Fr./Kent.Wash) had 13 kills. Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii) had a strong defensive effort with 18 digs.

St. Charles, Mo. –Graceland (4-2 HAAC, 14-9) dropped a pair of matches tonight. GU will be at home, Tuesday, Oct. 17 taking on William Jewell. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Graceland opened up with a 3-1 (30-26, 26-30, 30-16, 30-28) loss to #24 Lindenwood (6-1 HAAC, 21-8). Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 14 kills, three aces and 17 digs, Lindsay Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran HS) had 19 digs and Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had eight total blocks.

The Yellowjackets then fell 3-0 (30-21, 30-23, 30-24) to #6 Columbia (29-3). Young had 10 kills, three aces and 10 digs and Gleason had three aces and 10 digs.

Fayette, Mo. – It wasn’t pretty but an ugly win is better than a pretty loss. Graceland (4-1 HAAC, 14-7) pounded out a 3-0 (30-25, 30-21, 30-28) victory over Central Methodist (2-5 HAAC, 9-18) tonight. GU remains on the road taking on Lindenwood and Columbia tomorrow. The matches are scheduled for 1:00 and 3:30 p.m., respectively.

Graceland had one of the weakest hitting nights of the season at .116. The Yellowjackets though countered with 12 service aces and 16 total blocks. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) led the way with 12 kills, five service aces and 12 digs. Lindsay Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran HS) had 13 digs and two service aces and Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had six total blocks.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Mackenzie Fix (So./Ridgefield, Wash./Ridgefield HS) came in and well, fixed the Jackets. Graceland (13-7) went undefeated to win the Mt. Mercy Invitational. The Yellowjackets entered the tournament with a three-game losing streak. GU is returns home taking on Evangel, Tuesday, Oct. 10. The match is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, Graceland opened up with a dominating 3-0 (30-12, 30-17, 30-20) win over Johnson & Wales. On Saturday, the Jackets beat Dakota State 3-0 (30-25, 30-27, 30-22) and Mt. Mercy 3-1 (31-33, 30-26, 30-28, 30-26).

For the tournament, Fix was simply unstoppable with 39 kills, nine total blocks and hit a sizzling .485 in 10 games. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) came through with 30 kills, 12 service aces and 38 digs and hit .313 while Lindsay Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran HS) had 17 kills and hit .405. Jamie Dwyer (Sr./Longmont, Colo./Niwot HS) directed the offense with 87 assists including a season-high 43 against Mt. Mercy. She also added 12 service aces. Against Dakota State, Young became just the sixth GU player to record 400 games played.

Palos Heights, Ill. – #28 Graceland (10-5) went 2-2 at the Trinity Christian Troll Invitational, Sept. 22-23. Taylor went 4-0 to win the tournament. GU stays on the road playing Park, Sept. 26. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday, GU beat Trinity Christian 3-1 (30-20, 30-18, 29-31, 30-23) and fell to Trinity International 3-1 (30-17, 28-30, 30-25, 30-27). On Saturday, GU slugged out a 3-2 (30-23, 31-29, 26-30, 29-31, 19-17) win over Bethel before falling to Taylor 3-0 (30-23, 30-18, 36-34). In the third game against Taylor, the Jackets had the lead for most of the game and then fought off six match points before falling.

For the tournament, Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 63 kills, 50 digs and hit .188 while Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had 40 kills, 17 blocks and hit .172. Jamie Dwyer (Sr./Longmont, Colo./Niwot HS) and Stephanie Hamann (Jr./St. Joseph, Mo.) shared the setting duties. Dwyer had 109 assists and blistered the opponents with 18 service aces. Hamann notched 82 assists with 46 digs. Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Education Laboratory School) led the defense with 63 digs.

Lamoni, Iowa – #27 Graceland (2-0 HAAC, 7-3) snapped a three game losing streak beating Mid-America Nazarene (0-3 HAAC, 5-7) 3-0 (30-6, 30-25, 30-24). GU is off until Sept. 19 when they travel to take on Avila. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.

Graceland came out firing with a dominating 30-6 win in the opening game. The Lady Pioneers though fought back as the last two games took nearly an hour to finish. Amy Rich (Fr./Independence, Mo.) had 12 kills and hit .390 and Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 12 kills, three service aces and hit .280. Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Education Laboratory School) led the defense with 11 digs. Kim and Mackenzie Fix (So./Ridgefield, Wash.) had four service aces each.

Lamoni, Iowa – #27 Graceland (6-3) got swatted twice on the final day of the GU Pizza Shack Invitational. The Yellowjackets fell to #9 Doane 3-1 (30-20, 25-30, 30-19, 30-25) in the Silver Bracket semi-finals and to Lindenwood 3-1 (25-30, 30-27, 30-26, 30-22) in the consolation match. GU will remain home taking on Mid-America Nazarene, Tuesday, Sept. 12. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Against Doane, Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had a monster match with 20 kills, two solo blocks and hit .330. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) led six double-digit diggers with 14.

Against Lindenwood, Young had a strong match with 19 kills, 17 digs, two solo blocks and hit .260. Amy Rich (Fr./Independence, Mo.) had 10 kills and hit .280. Defensively, Kaili Palea (Sr. Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) had 17 digs and Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Education Laboratory School) had 16 digs.

Lamoni, Iowa – #27 Graceland (6-1) had a solid first night at the GU Pizza Shack Invitational. The Yellowjackets knocked off UM-Dearborn 3-2 (30-21, 27-30, 30-23, 20-30, 15-11) and fell to #4 Missouri Baptist (27-30, 13-30, 30-28, 20-30). GU will play #9 Doane in a Silver Bracket Semi-Final game tomorrow. The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.

Graceland seemed poised to win the match up 2-1. UM-Dearborn came out with a 14-7 run and never lost the lead. The Jackets once again seemed to be in charge with an 11-5 lead in game 5. The Wolves scored five straight points to close the gap to 11-10. GU ended on a 4-1 run for the victory. Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) had 14 kills and 11 digs while Lindsey Gleason (Sr./Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran HS) and Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had 10 kills each. Shannon Kim (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Education Laboratory School) came away with 17 digs.

GU put forth a strong effort against the number four team in the country. Stone had a solid match with 11 kills and six total blocks while Young was all over the place with a season high 25 digs. Young now has 1118 kills which ranks her second in school history.

Lamoni, Iowa – #30 Graceland (1-0 HAAC, 5-0) needed less than an hour to turn back Culver-Stockton (0-1 HAAC, 0-9) 3-0 (30-16, 30-23, 30-17) tonight. This was the conference and home opener for the Yellowjackets. GU will host the GU Pizza Shack Invitational this Friday and Saturday.

Sarah Young (Sr./Wright City, Mo./Wright City HS) led the charge with 13 kills and 14 digs while Jenny Stone (Jr./Wichita, Kan./Wichita East HS) had 10 kills and hit .310. The Jackets hit .260 as a team led by Jana Marler (Jr./Independence, Mo.) who hit at a .570 clip. Kaili Palea (Sr./Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) had a solid night with four service aces and 14 digs.

Young now has 1096 career kills which moves her past Leanna Majors into fifth on the all-time list.

Graceland's women's volleyball team hosted Longview Community College(Lee's Summit, MO) tonight in their season home opener. The Lady Yellowjackets took the match in 4 games(30-26)(30-22)(26-30)(30-28). The Scrimmage at home marks the beginning of what Coach McDole calls a promising season. Graceland remains undefeated at 7-0 overall. The Lady Yellowjackets play next on Tuesday night the 5th at home hosting Culver-Stockton University at 7:30pm.