Marshalltown, IA—Freshman Alanna Dubberke (Cambridge, IA/Ballard) and sophomore Sam Hinrichs (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) teamed up for the match-deciding block in the fifth-set tiebreaker to give the Marshalltown Community College volleyball team a 3-2 win over visiting Iowa Lakes Community College on Wednesday. The Tigers have now won four consecutive matches.
The Lakers (12-2), ranked No. 19 in the latest NJCAA Division II polls, forced a fifth set on the Tigers after MCC took the first two games. After an injury that sidelined starting middle hitter Jadelyn Rohach (Toledo, IA/South Tama), Dubberke stepped right in to rally the Tigers. MCC held a 7-4 advantage in the final frame, only to see the Lakers battle back.
Iowa Lakes forced another tie at 10-10, but the Tigers pulled ahead with a 14-11 lead. The Lakers took the next two points, setting the stage for the front-line duo's block. After a series of volleys, Dubberke and Hinrichs teamed up on the near side of the court to deny the Lakers' attempt and give MCC the victory.
"We really wanted to win for Jade," said Dubberke. "Jade's not a player you can replace, but I knew I had to step in and come up with a big play for the team. It was a great all around effort from everyone out there tonight."
Despite missing the entire fifth set, and a portion of the fourth, Rohach managed to record 15 kills to go along with five total blocks for the Tigers. Rohach has posted double-digit kills over the last four contests, all Tiger wins. Hinrichs recorded 40 assists for the Tigers, the sophomore's fourth consecutive match with at least 30 helpers. Mady Van Metre (Marshalltown, IA/Ames) also tallied 15 kills on the night.
The Tigers' serving efforts played a key role in the victory over the Lakers, as six different players recorded a service ace for a total of 10.
"We served very aggressively tonight," said head coach Chris Brees. "We had some big serves, especially down the stretch that really helped us out in that last set."
Rohach and Van Metre paced the Tigers in the opening set with 11 total kills. The Tigers opened up with a 3-1 lead, but the Lakers rallied for a 12-9 advantage. Following a timeout from Brees, the Tiger hitters sparked a rally that led to a 25-20 victory to open the night.
MCC battled throughout the second set, rallying from three points down on multiple occasions. Mady Van Metre (Marshalltown, IA/Ames) buried a kill to bring MCC within one, 17-18, but the Lakers held on for a 25-19 victory.
MCC found itself in a hole again in the third set. After an eight-all tie, the Lakers scored six straight points to pull ahead. The Tigers responded to a Brees timeout once again, and scored 17 of the final 22 points to take a 2-1 match advantage.
Iowa Lakes jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the fourth and never looked back. Rohach provided multiple kills to will the Tigers back from the deficit before sustaining the injury. Dubberke stepped in right away, providing a kill on her very first action, but the Lakers held on for a 25-16 win to force the deciding fifth game.
MCC trailed 3-1 early on, but a kill from Van Metre and an ace from Riley Clark (Papillion, NE/Papillion La Vista South) regained the Tiger lead. The Lakers jumped back on top 8-7, only to see the Tigers fight back and earn their fourth win in five days.
"Iowa Lakes is a quality opponent," Brees added. "A lot of players stepped up for us tonight. It's one of the prouder moments of my coaching career, given the circumstances that happened tonight, just their response and not giving up."
After six consecutive home games, the Tigers hit the road to Hutchinson, KS for the Hutchinson Tournament. The Tigers open up play against the host Blue Dragons at 12:00 PM on Friday.
