Marshalltown, IA—The Marshalltown Community College women's volleyball team closed out the 2013 Tiger Invitational with a pair of wins on Saturday, finishing up the weekend with a 5-1 record. The Tigers lone loss came to No. 9 nationally ranked Lincoln Land Community College on Saturday.
After going a perfect 3-0 on Friday, the Tigers opened up Saturday with a come from behind five-set victory over Allen Community College. MCC dropped the first two sets, 22-25 and 26-28, but rallied in three straight sets, 25-20, 28-26, and 15-11 in the final.
Following the victory, the Tigers earned a much-needed rest after playing late into the night Friday and opening up with a 9:00 AM match on Saturday. The Tigers took on Lincoln Land, who won both matches on Friday without dropping a set, at 3:00 PM. MCC was able to hold its own against the Loggers, but fell in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, and 25-20.
In their final match of the invite, the Tigers took on Graceland JV in a rematch from Friday night that saw MCC score a 3-1 victory. On Saturday, MCC took the first set 25-23 before falling in game two, 25-21. The Tigers took game three with ease, 25-14, before rallying in the fourth set 25-21 to pick up their fifth win of the weekend. Graceland opened up the final set with a 6-1 lead but the Tigers posted a strong finish to close out the tournament.
Katelyn Yauslin (Cedar Rapids, Alburnett) provided her second consecutive solid performance in the kills column, racking up 35 kills on the day, giving her a two-day total of 64. Miranda Smith (Albion, IA/Marshalltown) posted a team-high 21 blocks on Saturday, including 10 solo stops. Smith also added 24 kills for the Tigers.
Ashley Salgado (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) and Alyssa Whitmore (Legrand, IA/East Marshall) combined for 213 digs on the day. Reeba Box (Liscomb, IA/BCLUW) added 60 digs.
Mehlon Maxwell (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) played a big role in MCC's rally in the fourth set against Graceland, serving on 10 straight points. Maxwell scored three aces in the match. Emily Anker (Earlham, IA/Earlham) led the Tigers with six aces on the day.
Sam Hinrichs recorded 91 assists over the three matches and was a factor at the net, coming up with eight blocks on the day, including six against Allen.
With the five wins, the Tigers brought their overall record back up to an even .500, holding a 8-8 record on the season.
After totaling 24 total sets over the weekend, the Tigers will have four days off until returning to Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play with a home match against Des Moines Area Community College at 7:00 PM on Sept. 18. The Bears, ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division II poll heading into the Tiger Invite won two matches on Friday but dropped both their contests on Saturday, including a 3-1 loss to Lincoln Land.
Lincoln Land closed out the weekend winning all four of its matches, dropping one set.
For complete tournament results, visit the Tournament Homepage.
