Marshalltown, IA— The Marshalltown Community College volleyball team provided plenty of excitement at the Student Activity Center on Friday night, but the Tigers fell just short in a thrilling five-set match to North Iowa Area Community College on Sophomore Night.
Playing in their first home match since Sept. 21, the Tigers went set-for-set with the visiting Trojans, but were outlasted in a hard-fought contest. MCC fell by set scores of 21-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21, and 15-17. The match was the team's sixth five-set contest in their last nine matches.
On a night where five sophomores were honored for their contributions to the Tiger volleyball program, the team battled with just six players on the court. Sophomore DaNesha Cowley (Waterloo, IA/Waterloo West) carried the Tigers in multiple sets and finished the night with 11 kills. Fellow sophomore Jordan Carter (Sigourney, IA/Sigourney) posted nine kills and 19 digs. Sophomore Rieley Rodman (Ankeny, IA/Grand View Christian) dished out 43 assists.
Taking on the Trojans for the second time in 14 days, both sides stayed in contention in the opening set. NIACC slowly pulled away, but a late four-point run from the Tigers kept things interesting until the very end.
The Tigers bounced back in the second set as Rodman served up four straight points for a quick 5-0 MCC lead. Cowley buried three consecutive kills to extend the Tiger lead. MCC led from beginning to end to even the match at 1-1.
Another strong start in set three had the Tigers leading 10-5 in the early goings of the frame, but NIACC slowly chipped away and eventually stole the set from MCC.
The Tigers once again led from start to finish in the fourth frame in a dominant display of offensive attacks. The Tigers led by as many as nine points in the fourth set to force a fifth-set tiebreaker in front of an enthusiastic MCC crowd.
Both sides saved their best performances for the finale, trading the first eight points of the match. Back-to-back kills from Carter and Sara Bisbe (Barcelona, Spain/CV Saint Cugat) gave MCC an 8-7 advantage. Neither team led by more than a point the rest of the way until the Trojans scored the final two to take the match.
Bisbe led the Tigers with 20 kills on the night to go along with 18 digs. Sophomore Paola Toledo (Boca Chica, Dominican Republic/San Rafael) added nine kills and 10 digs while Nicole Montgomery (Beaman, IA/BCLUW) filled the stat sheet with six kills, 11 digs, and a solo block.
MCC's home-stand continues as the Tigers host Grand View JV at 7:00 PM on Monday night. The Tigers also host Indian Hills Community College on Wednesday night and William Penn JV on Thursday night.
