NAIA Volley Report Covers the Tigers Kickoff Invite
- Danny Amezquita
- May 21
- 4 min read
LA GRANDE, Ore. — The NAIA Volley Report is travelling to Bourbonnais, IL for coverage of a two-day tournament at Olivet Nazarene University. The Tigers will host teams from the Crossroads, Mid-South, Frontier, and Great Plains Athletic Conference.
This is a two day tournament held in Bourbonnais, IL at Olivet Nazarene University, which will take place August 14th and 15th. This will be the first official tournament that the NAIA Volley Report will be covering in 2026 season where we will have a multitude of content such as interviews, players of the game, in-game coverage and much more.
The teams that Olivet Nazarene will host are Carroll (Mont.), Freed-Hardemand (Tenn.), Grace (IN), Lindsey Wilson (Ky), Montana Tech, Mount Marty (S.D.), Marian (IN), Rochester Christian (MI), and Spring Arbor. All ten of these teams are coming off at least the respective conference tournaments with Lindsey Wilson and Marian being the only two that qualified for the NAIA National Tournament.
Here’s what Tournament host and ONU Head Coach Jake Ostema said about the Tiger Kickoff Invitational, "Olivet Nazarene University is thrilled to host our Tigers Kickoff Tournament for the second consecutive year. This event was a tremendous success in its inaugural season, drawing outstanding feedback from coaches, officials, and fans alike. Building on that momentum, and the strength of our facilities, we are expanding the field to 10 total teams, representing 6 conferences from across the country. That kind of national reach speaks to our commitment to making this a prestigious, highly competitive event that top programs want to be a part of year after year."
Olivet Nazarene is led by Head Coach Jake Ostema who has been at the helm for 2023, but he started as a graduate assistant in 2022. This past season the Tigers ended the year 11-22, 9-9 in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. ONU finished the season in the quarterfinal round of CCAC Conference tournament before falling to Saint Xaiver (IL) in four frames. The Tigers return its assist and service ace leader Analiese Fredin as she prepares for final year.
The Marian Knights are led by Ryan Bowerman who enters his second season with the Knights. Prior to MU, Bowerman had a stint at Xavier University in Louisiana. This past season the Knights finished the year 18-12, 9-9 in the Crossroads League. Marian had some notable wins over RV Cornerstone (MI), RV Columbia International, #22 Taylor (IN), and #12 Mount Vernon Nazarene (OH). The Knight ended the CR tournament with a loss in the semifinals to #12 Mount Vernon Nazarene in straight sets. Luckily enough, Marian got an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship opening rounds. MU traveled to Mobile, Ala. to face 21st-ranked University of Mobile where they fell 3-1. The Knights return its kill leader Chloe Cook and assist leader Sami Luttel.
Rochester Christian is led by Samantha Mangum who will be in her first season for the Warriors. This past season the Warriors went 21-12, 13-7 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference including a notable win over RV Rio Grande (OH) in five frames. RCU fell in the WHAC semifinals to No. 21 Aquinas, the eventual conference champion and one of the teams that advanced to the final site of the NAIA National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa.
Lindsey Wilson is led by second year head coach Josh Kreiner. In his first year he led the Blue Raiders to a 29-11, 9-3 record in the Mid-South Conference. He edged a 30-win season for LWU with a handful notable wins in his inaugural season. Lindsey topped RV Texas Wesleyan, #10 Missouri Baptist, and RV Cumberland x2. Lindsey Wilson fell in the Semifinals to Campbellsville in four frames. However, LWU obtained at-large bid to National Tournament where they fell to #21 Aquinas in four sets. Coach Kreiner has pulled an impressive recruiting class to try and top this last season.
Montana Tech is led by 14th year head coach Brian Solomon who has had a successful tenure as the leader of the Orediggers. This past season the Diggers went 17-13, 12-10 in the newly constricted Frontier Conference. The Diggers turned some heads with wins over RV Valley City State, RV Montana Western, No. 24 Dakota State, and RV Carroll. Tech made it to the Frontier tournament where they topped DaSU in four frames, but fell to the eventual champion and NAIA Quarterfinalist Providence.
Freed-Hardeman is led by FHU alum Amanda Bretherick who led the Lions to a 18-16 finish. The Lions marked the most wins since the 2019 season. FHU is looking to build on this past season to make a push for a spot in Sioux City.
Grace is led by Katie Hill, who has been the head coach for 12 seasons for the Lancers. Hill led the Grace to a 20-16, 8-10 finish in Crossroads League play with some astonishing wins which kept league play interesting. They swept #20 Taylor and #22 Marian who were both National Tournament teams. They fell in the Quarterfinals to the back-to-back-back National champions Indiana Wesleyan. They did not garner an at-large bid, but they did earn a bid to the NCCAA Tournament where they earned their third straight NCCAA Division I Title against Columbia International.
Carroll is led by Maureen Boyle who led the Fighting Saints to a 17-14 overall record. CC recorded four wins over teams that were either receiving votes or were ranked in the top-25 coaches poll. The Saints made it to the Frontier Conference Tournament where they fell to Montana State- Northern in a five-set thriller.
Spring Arbor is led by 12th-year head coach Betsy Martinez, who also spent a brief stint coaching at her alma mater, Taylor University. As a player at Taylor, Martinez was a four-time NAIA All-American and earned Crossroads League Player of the Year honors three times.
The Cougars finished the season with a 23-10 overall record and went 9-9 in Crossroads League play. Along the way, they picked up several impressive wins over teams that were either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll. Their season came to an end in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals with a loss to perennial powerhouse Indiana Wesleyan.
Mount Marty is led by Sophia Lobo Paes out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Lancers ended the year 12-16, snapping the GPAC tournament drought for the program. MMU matched its win total from last year, nearly doubling its total from previous seasons, which shows the program is on the right track under Coach Paes.
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