The #1 ranked Thunder volleyball team took their undefeated record into tonight's match against NAIA opponent, Friends University. Going into the match, the Thunder were 4-0 against NAIA competition. After falling behind 2-0, the Thunder would battle to win the third set 26-24. Long rallies would fall in favor of the visiting Falcons early on and give them the edge. The Thunder would fall behind 18-11 in the fourth set, but a 7-0 run would tie the set at 18. The Falcons would call a timeout and then would go on a 4-0 run to shift the momentum in their favor to close out the match 3-1 (22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21) and hand the Thunder their first loss of the season.

Four Thunder player would record double-digit kills led by sophomore, Ellie Wilson who had 14 with a 0.344 attack percentage and senior, Hannah Beukelman who had 13 with a 0.417 attack percentage. Seniors, Jacey Schurle and Liv Lubbers would chip in with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Along with the 10 kills, Lubbers would record another double-double with 12 digs on defense. Senior, Abby Blake would lead the defense with stellar effort recording 24 digs on the night.

The Thunder will play another NAIA opponent in Sterling College on Friday, September 26th at 6:00PM at the Gleason Center in Sterling, Kansas. The Thunder defeated the Warriors 3-1 on August 30th at the Thunder Invitational.

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.