Marshalltown, IA— Two dominating victories were not enough for the Marshalltown Community College women's volleyball team as the Tigers suffered a 3-2 loss to visiting Iowa Lakes Community College in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play. The conference loss was the first of the season for MCC (3-7, 1-1).
Ashley Salgado (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa), the two-time ICCAC Volleyball Player of the Week, registered 58 digs on the night and provided a spark on the offensive end, coming up with a career-high 11 service aces.
The Tigers jumped out early on the Lakers, scoring a 25-14 victory in game one. Salgado came up with personal match-highs with four aces and 15 digs while Katelyn Yauslin (Cedar Rapids, IA/Alburnett) provided four kills. Iowa Lakes rebounded for a close 25-23 victory in game two before the Tigers took game three handedly, 25-14.
Salgado came up with 13 digs in game four but the Lakers managed to knot the match up at two with a 25-21 victory. Eventually, Iowa Lakes proved to be too much down the stretch as MCC fell 15-12 in the deciding set.
Miranda Smith (Albion, IA/Marshalltown) totaled a team-high 10 kills on the night while Yauslin finished with nine. Meghann Cole (Des Moines, IA/West Des Moines Valley), Reeba Box (Liscomb, IA/BCLUW), Sam Hinrichs (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny), and Amanda Keane (Morinville, Alberta) each tallied seven kills.
While Salgado leads the NJCAA in digs and digs per set, fellow defensive specialist Alyssa Whitmore (Legrand, IA/East Marshall) ranks among the nation's best as well. The sophomore recorded 24 digs on the night, giving her 277 for the year, placing her ninth among all Division II players.
Hinrichs finished with 28 assists to lead the Tigers while Smith posted a team-high five total blocks.
MCC is set to host its annual Tiger Invitational this weekend, hosting 10 teams. The invite kicks off at 11:00 AM on Friday, with the Tigers first game scheduled for 1:00 PM against Fort Scott Community College. A total of 23 matches will be played over two days, including six for MCC.
