ONU OPENS ATHLETIC YEAR WITH TIGER KICKOFF INVITATIONAL
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University women's volleyball team opened the 2025-26 athletic slate when they hosted the opening day of the Tiger Kickoff Invitational, competing in two matches against Mount Mercy University (MMU) and Cumberland University (CU). Both resulted in defeats.
In their opening match against Mount Mercy University (1-0), Olivet Nazarene (0-1) fell 3-1, with set scores of 20-25, 25-20, 26-24, and 25-20. The match showcased MMU's efficient attack, particularly highlighted by a .316 hitting percentage in the third set.
Olivet began the first set strong, taking advantage of a crucial run halfway through, including service aces from Sabrina Sanif at 21-18, which helped them secure a 25-20 victory. In the second set, despite a late 6-0 run that brought the score to 24-20, Olivet could not overcome MMU and lost the set 25-20.
The third set was fiercely contested, with Olivet tying the score at 2-2 and leading at 7-4 before MMU responded. A strategic timeout from Olivet at 20-21 was called as the set remained close, but MMU edged out a 26-24 win, capitalizing on attack errors from Olivet. The fourth set began with Olivet leading 2-0, thanks to a kill from Sanif, but despite a strong start, they fell to MMU again with a final score of 25-20.
Breanna Lamie led Olivet with 29 digs, while Sanif had 11 kills with a hitting percentage of .579, adding four service aces for a total of 16.5 points. Analiese Fredin was instrumental in setting up attacks with 30 assists, and Monney-Hori contributed significantly with 15 kills and 21 digs, scoring 16 points.
In their second match of the day, Cumberland University (1-0) defeated Olivet Nazarene (0-2) in straight sets with scores of 25-19, 25-20, and 25-21.
The first set featured back-and-forth scoring, where Monney-Hori and Brynn Nikonchuk made early contributions with multiple kills. Olivet found a rhythm mid-set, sparked by a service ace from Lamie that tied the score at 5. Despite competitive play and a kill from Ayla Dorsey to halt CU's momentum at 23-17, the Phoenix pulled away to take the set 25-19.
In the second set, CU established a 5-1 lead, capitalizing on several Olivet errors. Monney-Hori and Nikonchuk continued to push back, narrowing the gap to 20-17, but CU regained control and secured the set 25-20.
The third set began with CU jumping to a 5-0 lead, but Olivet fought back, highlighted by a service ace from Sanif at 12-9, tying the score at 12-12. Despite another tie at 19-19 with back-to-back aces from Monney-Hori, CU finished strong to win the set 25-21.
Lamie again led Olivet with 16 digs, while Fredin contributed with 28 assists, eight digs, and two blocks. Monney-Hori was a standout offensive player with 11 kills and a .258 hitting percentage, scoring a total of 13 points. Nikonchuk added eight kills and four digs for a total of 9.5 points.
With these matches, Olivet Nazarene opens their season at 0-2 as they continue to seek improvement in the Tiger Kickoff Invitational.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu