CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Despite entering the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I Volleyball Tournament as the top seed, the Grace Lancers faced several obstacles.

After the disappointing home loss to Taylor last week, confidence was lacking and opponents were hungry for their shot at an upset.

But Grace overcame all that to bring home the NCCAA National Championship on Saturday.

The tournament started on Friday with three matches of pool play. The Lady Lancers had to face Trinity Christian College, who they had beaten twice before this season.

Trinity took game one 15-10 as Grace had to work through some early jitters. Grace came back strong, and after a tough battle, and took the next two games 15-12, 15-13.

Tournament host Lee College was next on the slate. Again, Grace dropped the first game 15-11, but then responded with 15-9 and 15-5 scores and their second win of the day.

The final game in pool play was with Concordia. True to form, the Lancers fell 15-11 in game one. However, by this time, the Lancers' confidence was growing, and although it had been a long grueling day, they still took the next two games 15-12, 15-13.

The Lancers finished the day seeded first, and more importantly, had rediscovered their perspective and confidence that had temporarily escaped.

Grace began day two of the single-elimination tournament by facing Judson College. The team was joined by a strong cheering section as several carloads of Grace students and staff made the 10-hour trip to join a very supportive bunch of parents who were already there.

Although Judson put up a fight in game one, the Lancers took the match in two games, 15-13, 15-1.

Everything began to click for the ladies. As a team, it only missed two serves and had excellent passing. Rebecca Wahlstrom and Trish Dement seemed to score a kill every time they touched the ball, both finishing with seven kills.

The victory sent the Lancers to a quarterfinal match against Mt. Vernon. The Cougars were 45-7 and a very athletic team. But Grace had beaten them earlier this season.

Armed with a strategy designed to capitalize on the Cougar key weaknesses, the Lancers pulled away and cruised to a 15-5, 15-9 win.

Meanwhile, Concordia was in the process of pulling out a surprising upset over Taylor University, setting up a rematch between Grace and Concordia in the Championship.

Riding the adrenaline from the Taylor upset, the Cardinals got out early. After a time-out, the Lancers settled down and began to focus. The Cardinals took the first game, 15-13. But the Lancers were accustomed to the come-from-behind wins, and this one proved to be no different.

The Lancers responded by dominating game two, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead en route to a 15-7 win. The momentum had turned, setting up a dramatic final game. Grace got up early and did not look back, winning 15-12. When Stacy Pastryk drilled the ball past a Concordia defender for the final point, 12 elated players, their coach and fans raised jubilant hands in celebration.

"After we lost the first game, I wasn't scared at all," Wahlstrom said. "I was even more confident because we were up. We've come from behind many times, especially in this tournament,"

"When we were up 12-5 in the final game, I knew it was over," Melissa Rants said. "I thought, 'So this is what it is like to win a national championship'. Thank you Lord, I'm so excited."

Wahlstrom was honored as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Rants was also named to the all-tourney team. Head coach Candace Moats was voted the NCCAA Coach of the Year in her first season with Grace.

"This is an outstanding tribute to the dedication, diligence, and hard work of a superb group of athletes," Moats said. "It shows determination on the part of each of the ladies to be the best they are capable of being."
 

*Written by Jessica Horner (Times-Union)