By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Full Schedule | Bracket) Two of the four higher seeds advanced to the quarterfinals with first round victories at the 2014 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, presented by J&L Staffing and Recruiting. Today’s first round winners were No. 5 Missouri Baptist, No. 9 Viterbo (Wis.), No. 7 Concordia (Calif.) and No. 11 Eastern Oregon.

Quarterfinal action is scheduled to start later today with two matches at 5:45 p.m. CST, followed by a pair of contests at 8 p.m.

The top four seeds out of pool play – No. 1 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), No. 2 Park (Mo.), No. 3 Biola (Calif.) and No. 4 Texas at Brownsville – received byes into the round of eight.

Outside of the top four seeds, No. 9 Viterbo became the first team to punch a ticket into the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win against No. 8 Northwestern (Iowa). The V-Hawks, who were squaring off against the Red Raiders for the first time in championship history, were led by another strong performance from Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Alicia Olson. The Eau Claire, Wis., native registered her 17th double-double of the year with 18 kills and 12 digs. Olson is third at the championship final site with 77 kills through four matches.

The V-Hawks advance to the round of eight for the second time in program history to play Rocky Mountain at 5:45 p.m.

No. 5 Missouri Baptist needed five sets to beat Vanguard (Calif.) and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. The Spartans and Lions alternated wins through the first four frames, before Missouri Baptist sealed the win, 15-13, in a hard-fought fifth set.

Three individuals finished the match with double-digit kills for Missouri Baptist, led by 25 from Hannah Carey. Setter Ally Krus, who entered the day tied for third at the final site in assists with 127 in 11 sets, tied a season-high with 59 assists – the second-most in a single match at this year’s championship.

The Spartans will play Texas at Brownsville in the second contest slated for 5:45 p.m.

Championship newcomer No. 11 Eastern Oregon kept its Cinderella story going with a 3-2 win against No. 6 Georgetown (Ky.). The Mountaineers were the lowest seed to win in the first round. Statistically, the two sides were nearly identical. Middle hitter Casey Looper and setter Rachelle Chamberlain highlighted the match for Eastern Oregon. Looper ended the contest with 17 kills and 10 digs, while Chamberlain totaled 53 assists – her second match at the championship with 50-plus assists.

The road does not get any easier for Mountaineers as they square off with No. 3 Biola (Calif.) at 8 p.m. Biola won the regular-season meeting between the two programs, 3-1, on Aug. 29.

Concordia registered the only sweep in the first round, taking down Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in straight-sets. The Eagles were dominant on the offensive end, concluding the match with a .355 hitting percentage, including a 15-for-32 effort in the second stanza. Jessica Israel paced the Concordia attackers with 18 kills, followed by Hannah Andrews’ 13.

With the win, Concordia moves on to at least the quarterfinals for the eighth time in 10 trips to the national championship. The Eagles face a tough test in the round of eight, as they draw No. 2 Park (Mo.) – the only remaining unbeaten team in NAIA volleyball – for an 8 p.m. first serve. The meeting is the second all-time for the two squads, as Concordia downed the Pirates 3-1 in the second day of pool play at the 2013 event – the last time Park dropped a match.

For more information on the NAIA Volleyball National Championship, click here.