2014 Tiger Invitational Home Page
Marshalltown, IA—Posting their best performance of the year in nearly every statistical category, the Marshalltown Community College volleyball team recorded two wins to close out the 2014 Tiger Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers dropped Allen Community College 3-1 before closing out with a 3-1 victory over Neosho County Community College.
A slow start to the tournament on Friday, where the Tigers (3-8) dropped two matches, sparked the Tigers on Saturday to post one of their best all-around performances of the season. Allen entered the day 2-0 at the invite, having only dropped one set on Friday, before matching up with the Tigers. Allen took the opening set 25-23, but the Tigers powered their way to three straight wins, 25-17, 25-15, and 25-12 to pick up their first win of the invite.
Neosho came in to its match against MCC having won two of its first three matches of the weekend. The Tigers kept the offense rolling from their victory over Allen with two straight wins to open the match against the Panthers, including a hard-fought 31-29 victory in the second. Neosho stole a set in the third, 25-22, before MCC closed out the match 25-19.
"I think this is the turning point we've been looking for," MCC head coach Chris Brees stated. "We were able to cut down on our errors and it showed what we're capable of. We made some changes that proved to benefit the entire team today, and it clearly showed."
One key adjustment that Brees noted was placing Sam Hinrichs (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) as the team's primary setter. Hinrichs tallied a career-high 47 assists in the opening match, only to top that mark with 50 assists against Neosho.
"I thought Sam played very well today," Brees added. "She was able to make some adjustments and effectively distribute the ball that helped the whole team out.
Hinrichs' play led to some solid attacking numbers for her teammates. Kayla Prosser (Eldora, IA/South Hardin) tallied 31 total kills on the day, including 17 against Neosho. Jadelyn Rohach (Toledo, IA/South Tama) posted 30 total kills, with a career-high 17 coming in the team's final win of the day. Reeba Box (Liscomb, IA/BCLUW) posted 26 total digs on the afternoon and also added 12 kills.
Emily Anker (Earlham, IA/Earlham) came off the bench to propel the Tigers against Allen with a team-high four service aces.
Defensively for the Tigers, Rohach registered 11 total blocks to up her team-leading total to 40 on the year. The sophomore transfer is currently tied for second in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) in total kills. As a team, the Tigers recorded 18 total blocks against Allen, a season-high.
MCC will look to add on to its winning streak with two straight home games this week. The Tigers host Grand View JV at 7:00 PM on Sept. 16 and against Iowa Lakes Community College at 7:00 PM on Sept. 17.
