PELLA— On the second day of its home invitational, the Central College volleyball team lost 3-2 against the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and 3-1 against the University of Wisconsin – Stout Saturday afternoon.
           
Wis.-Platteville (3-2) won 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-5 and Wis.-Stout (4-1) won 27-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18. Central fell to 1-4 on the season. Saturday's contests were the fourth and fifth of the week for a young Dutch team in four days.
           
"We've got three freshmen and some first-time varsity kids on the floor," coach Jeanne Czipri said. "We're trying to give them some confidence. With that you're going to make some errors and you're going to have some hesitation. An opening weekend tournament is all about getting experience and being tested."
           
In the second game against Wis.-Stout, middle hitter Rachel Pella (junior, Kansas City, Mo. Park Hill HS) had 13 kills on 25 attempts. She also had five blocks in that match against the Blue Devils. Against the Pioneers, she had seven kills and two blocks.
           
"The fact we are getting our middle 25 attempts is something to celebrate," Czipri said. The fact she is in double digits for kills is something else to celebrate. She's a captain, she works so hard and her heart is all in"
           
Amanda Smith (junior, setter, Tipton) had 25 assists against Wis.-Stout and 22 against Wis.-Platteville. Landry Luhring (senior, libero, Grundy Center) had 25 digs against Wis.-Stout and 16 against Wis.-Platteville. Krissa Larson (senior, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) had 14 kills against Wis.-Platteville
           
Central is headed to Naperville, Illinois next weekend for a tournament hosted by North Central College, starting with the host team on Friday night at 7 p.m.