The #1 ranked Thunder volleyball team traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to face NCCAA Central Region foe, Spurgeon. The Thunder would make quick work of the Knight earning their sixth sweep of the season (25-14, 25-23, 25-17) and 10th straight win to start the season. Senior, outside hitter, Liv Lubbers would lead the offense with 10 kills, while senior, middle hitter, Jacey Schurle would chip in with seven. In her first career start, freshman, middle hitter, Katie Drake would have five kills. Senior, setter, Ellie Suber would have 26 assists, to go along with six aces, and sophomore, defensive specialist, Malloree Matlack would have four aces. The team would total 13 aces on the night. Senior, libero, Abby Blake would lead the defense with eight digs, while senior, opposite hitter, Hali Clark would have an all-around night with four kills, three digs, and five block assists. With the three set victory, the Thunder move to 10-0 overall and 2-0 in the Central Region.

The Thunder will be back at home play two Midwest Christian College Conference, who are also Central Region opponents, this weekend starting on Friday, September 19th against Central Christian College of the Bible at 6:00PM at Howie's Activity Center.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The #1 ranked Thunder volleyball team took their unblemished record on the road to Iowa for their first two Midwest Christian College Conference matches against ranked teams. On Friday, the Thunder would travel to Dubuque, Iowa to face the #7 ranked Emmaus Eagles. The Thunder would sweep the Eagles (25-12, 25-16, 25-16) to earn their first MCCC win. On Saturday, the #6 ranked Faith Baptist Bible Eagles were set to face the Thunder. The Eagles would take the first set, but the Thunder would regroup and dominate the final three sets (23-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-18). Seniors, Liv Lubbers and Jacey Schurle would each have 13 kills each to pace the offense, while sophomore, Ellie Wilson would chip in with 11. Sophomore, setter, Ellie Suber would have her first double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs. Redshirt-sophomore, Sienna Alexander would also have five aces to contribute to the scoring column. On the defensive end, senior, Hannah Beukelman would have five block assists of the teams 14. The Thunder move to 9-0 on the season and start 2-0 in the MCCC.

The Thunder will finish their road swing on Tuesday, September 16th when they travel to Kansas City, Missouri to play Spurgeon College in the Mathena Student Center at 7:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

After recently being named the unanimous #1 team in NCCAA DII Women's Volleyball, the Thunder will start Midwest Christian College Conference play this weekend. They will travel to Iowa to play two top-10 teams, the #7 Emmaus University Eagles on Friday at 5:00PM and the #6 Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles on Saturday at 1:00PM. The Thunder are currently on a 56-match MCCC regular season win streak that dates back to the 2018 season. The Thunder played Faith Baptist Bible in the MCCC Tournament Championship last season, where the they would capture their sixth consecutive tournament title. The Thunder are look for their seventh straight undefeated regular season, regular season conference title, and tournament title. A eight-game conference slate is scheduled for the Thunder.

Head coach Lauren Sanders is ready to compete against conference opponents, "We are looking forward to starting conference play this weekend. After a competitive first few weeks with five NAIA matches, we are ready to settle into conference play and to continue to grow together. The team has been working hard, making adjustments, and preparing everyday! We look forward to the competition the conference brings!"

Friday's match will start at 5:00PM at Pollard Fieldhouse in Dubuque, Iowa at Emmaus University.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

After an unblemished 7-0 start to the season, the Thunder volleyball team is ranked #1 in the first National Christian College Athletic Association Coaches Poll of the season for DII Women's Volleyball. With a total of 60 points, the Thunder are above the defending national champions, Arlington Baptist University, for the top spot. The Thunder are one of four teams from the Midwest Christian College Conference and one of two teams from the NCCAA Central Region who are ranked in the week one poll. For the full top-10 rankings for DII Women's Volleyball, click this link.

The Thunder will play two ranked teams on the road this weekend. The #7 Eagles of Emmaus University on Friday at 5:00PM at Pollard Fieldhouse in Dubuque, Iowa and #6 Eagles of Faith Baptist Bible College on Saturday at 1:00PM at the Nettleton Center in Ankeny, Iowa.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder volleyball team hit the road back to Nebraska to play in two matches on Saturday where they secured two more wins. The Thunder would start the day with a sweep of Kansas Christian, 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-14). Senior, outside hitter, Liv Lubbers would have nine kills to lead the Thunder, while senior, middle hitter, Jacey Schurle and sophomore, outside hitter, Ellie Wilson would both have seven kills. The Thunder would have 20 service aces on the afternoon led by sophomore, setter, Ellie Suber who had eight. She would also have 27 assists from her setter position.

The second match would feature the host Panthers from York University. The Panthers would take the first set, but the Thunder would bounce back and take the final three to claim the match (22-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-21). The Thunder would hit over 0.300 in every set led by senior, middle hitter, Hannah Beukelman who had 11 kills on the night, while hitting 0.474. Wilson would have a match-high 19 kills, while Lubbers would record her first double-double of the season with 12 kills and 16 digs. Schurle and senior, middle hitter, Hali Clark would each have five block assists. With the two wins, the Thunder move to 7-0 on the season.

The Thunder will continue their road swing and start Midwest Christian College Conference play on Friday, September 12th when they play Emmaus University at Pollard Fieldhouse in Dubuque, Iowa.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder volleyball team hit the road for the first time this season to take on NCCAA Central Region opponent, Union Adventist. The Thunder would make quick work of the Warriors sweeping them, 3-0 (25-8, 25-7, 25-16). This would be the third win by sweep for the Thunder on the young season. The Thunder would play a nearly flawless match on the offensive end only recording five attacking errors on the night leading to a 0.522 attack percentage as a team. Sophomore, outside hitter, Ellie Wilson would lead the charge with 10 kills, while seniors, Liv Lubbers and Jacey Schurle would both total nine. Lubbers would also have five aces and five digs. Sophomore, setter, Ellie Suber would setup the offensive attack with 29 assists on the night. Senior, libro, Abby Blake would anchor the defense with eight digs, while sophomore, Malloree Matlack would chip in with six. The Thunder now move to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in Central Region play.

The Thunder will head back north to play their next two matches at York College on Saturday, September 6th against Kansas Christian College at 1:00PM and then York at 5:00PM at the Freeman Center in York, Nebraska.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder volleyball team opened their 2025 season at home at the Thunder Invitational this weekend. The Thunder would cruise to a 4-0 start with three of those wins coming against NAIA opponents.

The Thunder would start their season on Friday afternoon with a match against Dallas Christian, the lone NCCAA-only institution in attendance besides MCC. A dominate sweep of the Crusaders (25-15, 25-7, 25-14) to start the season would set the tone for the rest of the weekend. On Friday night, the Thunder would battle with the first of three NAIA opponents who traveled to Manhattan. Cottey would expose the Thunder and take the first set, but would regroup and take the final three to beat the Comets, 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20).

On Saturday, the Thunder would face their toughest opponent, Sterling, as they were undefeated heading into the match. The Thunder would make a statement in first set and never look back. The Warriors would take the third set, but the Thunder would prevail and win in four sets (25-12, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16). In the final match of the invitational, the Thunder would make quick work of Central Christian (KS) marking their second sweep of the season (25-13, 25-16, 25-18). In convincing fashion, the Thunder start the 2025 season with a 4-0 record.

The Thunder will play their next match on the road at Union Adventist University on Thursday, September 4th at 6:00PM at The Thunderdome in Lincoln, Nebraska.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

After another successful season under the leadership of Lauren Sanders, the Thunder open their 2025 season at home at the Thunder Invitational this weekend. The Thunder went 27-6 last season, with a perfect 8-0 record in the Midwest Christian College Conference extending their regular season conference win streak to 56 matches. This team is looking to win its 7th straight MCCC Regular Season & Tournament title, along with its 4th straight NCCAA Region title.

The Thunder return a senior-heavy team with the five seniors of Liv Lubbers, Jacey Schurle, Hannah Beukelman, Abby Blake, and Hali Clark. Lubbers racked up many accolades last season as she was the MCCC MVP and 1st Teamer, along with being a NCCAA 1st Team All-American, while making the National Tournament All-Tournament Team. She was second on the team in kills (328) and hit 0.235 from her outside hitter position. Schurle earned multiple awards as well being a 1st Team All-MCCC selection, NCCAA Central Region MVP and 1st Teamer, along with being a NCCAA 1st Team All-American, while making the National Tournament All-Tournament Team. She was led the team in kills (349) and blocks (84), while hitting 0.496 from her middle position. Buekelman was a NCCAA Central Region 2nd Team performer and a NCCAA Scholar-Athlete. She tallied 227 kills, was second on the team in blocks (46), and hit 0.385 from her middle position. Blake was a 2nd Team All-MCCC and a 1st Team All-Region selection. She led the defensive attack with 614 digs and was second on the team in aces (41). Clark is coming off an injury and only played in 13 sets as a junior. She was named a NCCAA Scholar-Athlete. Both Lubbers and Blake played in all 109 sets in 2024. Other returners include, the one junior, Jaiden Brewer, and a group of sophomores, Natalie Jensen, Jayda Juenemann, Jeydan Umberger, Ellie Wilson, and Malloree Matlack. Brewer played in 65 sets as a sophomore and totaled 128 digs. Wilson was named to the 2nd Team All-Region team, while being third on the team in kills (261). Juenemann was third on the team in total blocks (41) in her freshman campaign.

Also, the Thunder add four new players, one transfer and three freshman, to last year's Final Four team. Ellie Suber, a Hutchinson Community College transfer, had 41 service aces, 213 digs, and was second on the team with 453 assists in her single season for the Blue Dragons. A small, yet strong freshman class of Cheyenne Crow, Katie Drake, and Anja VonSpreckelsen round out the Thunder's roster.

Head coach Lauren Sanders, who enters her 21st season coaching at Manhattan Christian College, is excited for 2025, "This season, we’re proud to return five seniors who bring leadership and experience. We’ve added three new setters, one who transferred in from a community college, one that has been with us the last two years as a practice player and one incoming freshman - all three have brought fresh energy and speed to our offense. Our defensive core remains solid, anchored by our All-Conference and All Region libero last year, and on top of that, we’ve added a few promising newcomers to round out our lineup and give us the depth we need to compete week in and week out. This is the largest roster size we've ever had, and it's been exciting to watch them compete in practice these last two weeks. We have a strong schedule with our Conference and Region games, and eight NAIA matches. We feel this will help prepare us for another run at the National Championship. Off the court these student-athletes are dedicated to their academics, strong members of the MCC community and love the Lord. We look forward to watching them grow in their faith and grow as a team over the season!" 

The Thunder open their season at home at the Thunder Invitational on Friday, August 29th and Saturday, August 30th at the Howie's Activity Center (HAC). They will host Dallas Christian College at 3:00PM and Cottey College at 7:00PM on Friday and Sterling College at 1:00PM and Central Christian College (KS) at 5:00PM on Saturday.

Tickets for the 2025 season are available now on the SidelineTix app and website. To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.mccthunder.com and click the "Get Tickets" tab.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

As the 2025 season approaches, the Thunder volleyball team closes out the 2024 season and 2024-25 academic year with another honor as they received the AVCA Team Academic Award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. To receive this honor, teams have to have maintained a year-long grade-point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale, to earn the AVCA Team Academic Award. The volleyball team had a year-long GPA of 3.55 and they were one of two NCCAA Division II volleyball teams and one of three NCCAA only institutions to make the list. To read more about the AVCA Team Academic Award, visit the link.

The Thunder will kick off the 2025 season with a double-header at their invitational on Friday, August 29th against Dallas Christian and Cottey.

Check out the volleyball schedule here: 2025 Volleyball Schedule

Tickets for the 2025 season will be posted to the SidelineTix website and app later this summer. To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.mccthunder.com and click the "Get Tickets" tab.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Volleyball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.