CHADRON, Neb. – Using a fantastic first set as a springboard, the Chadron State volleyball program closed out the Eagle Classic on a high note, earning its first win of 2025 with a 25-12, 25-22, 25-15 sweep over the University of Mary on Saturday in the Chicoine Center.

Mataya Ward led the Eagles attack with 12 kills, hitting at a .478 clip, while Gibson Beckler added seven and Shelbi Hazlitt six. Avery Lacy chipped in 11 digs defensively while Lincoln, Nebraska freshman Shelby Harding was a weapon on the serve line with four aces. 

With the win, CSC finishes the weekend and their home classic at 1-3 in 2025. UMary fell to 1-3 as well with the loss. The Eagles have defeated Mary for the second consecutive season after a four-set win over the Marauders in 2024. 

The Eagles played a completely dominant first set, which set the tone for the rest of the match against the shellshocked Marauders. In the opening frame, Chadron State racked up 15 kills on 25 attempts against just two hitting errors for a .520 hitting percentage. 

Chadron State created some distance with a 9-1 run that turned a 10-7 lead into a 19-8 cushion, including four kills from Hazlitt. Meanwhile, the Marauders hit just .040 as a team, managing nine kills against eight errors in the same 25 attempts. CSC closed on a 5-0 run, using two Ward kills, two Mary attack errors and an exclamation point ace from Harding to close the first set, 25-12. 

Mary matched the Eagles for much of the second set, which featured seven ties and three lead changes. Chadron State took control with a 7-2 run that put the Eagles ahead 17-11 after back-to-back kills from Bella Adams, who would total six kills overall in just the second set. While Mary rallied to within two at 22-20, two Marauder errors plus an Adams kill allowed CSC to clinch the second set by a 25-22 margin.

Up two sets, the Eagles sensed opportunity for a quick ending and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third set. Mary's offense committed more attack errors than kills while CSC's .265 third set hitting percentage was more than enough to finish out the victory. Chadron State benefitted from UMary attack errors to win four of its final five points of the match. 

The Eagles were statistically ahead of Mary in kills (42-29), aces (8-2), blocks (2-1) and hitting percentage (.378 to .103). The visitors had 32 digs compared to CSC's 28. 

After a season-opening weekend at home, Chadron State will head to Minnesota next week to participate in the Maverick Invite, hosted by Minnesota State-Mankato. The Eagles will face the host Mavericks on Thursday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. before taking on Upper Iowa and Minnesota Crookston on Friday and finishing with a rematch against No. 25 Northern State on Saturday morning.