NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS — A monster day from Krissa Larson (senior, outside hitter, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) spearheaded the Central College volleyball team to a pair of wins at the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament Saturday.
           
Central opened with a 21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-13 win against Blackburn (Ill.) and then beat North Central (Ill.) 26-24, 25-23, 25-16.
           
"We had a slower start to the day," coach Jeanne Czipri said. "We needed to clean up our side in a lot of ways but edged out a win. We reset for the second match and played great volleyball against a solid team."
           
Larson had 21 kills against Blackburn and 16 against North Central, ending the day with a .342 hitting percentage.
           
"It was fantastic to see Krissa light up today," Czipri said. "She did a great job staying hot and aggressive by taking some big swings and smart shots. She also made some plas with her first contact that were big for her teammates."
           
Landry Luhring (senior, Libero, Grundy Center) had 21 digs in each match and Amanda Smith (junior, setter, Tipton) had 54 total assists. Emma Wagler (freshman, middle hitter, Des Moines, Roosevelt HS) contributed to six blocks on the day. Luhring and Becca Vala (freshman, defensive specialist Omaha, Neb., Elkhorn HS) had three service aces. In total, Central used 16 players on the day.
           
"We had a lot of people contribute and our lineup keeps being tweaked," Czipri said. "It's a huge testament to our team for being dialed into serving each other and making it a full team effort."
           
Central hosts Grinnell Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
           
"We need to keep building and moving forward, making sure we grow and make positive progress each day we are together," Czipri said.