PELLA — A marathon third set put the exclamation point on the Central College volleyball team's 25-21, 25-14, 31-29 victory over Buena Vista University Wednesday night.
The win moves Central to 21-8 overall and 4-4 in American Rivers Conference matches. The Dutch are headed back to the league tournament as the No. 5 seed with a trip to No. 4 Simpson College Tuesday at 7 p.m. Central is back in the tournament field after missing it in 2022.
"This group has been through some pretty moments and some ugly moments," coach
Jeanne Czipri said. "For them to finish 4-4 in conference matches and to earn each of those wins, it's a testament to them finding a way to figure it out and do their jobs."
Central swept the first two sets with the lead only changing hands once in each set. The two squads were tied 13 times and exchanged the lead six times in the final set. Tied at 24-24,
Leslie Snow (sophomore, Olivia, Minn., BOLD HS) and
Gracie Daniels (senior, Broken Arrow, Okla.). each nailed down three kills before
Gracie Pierson (junior, Lake City, Minn.) finished the Beavers off with a kill. Snow had 13 on the night while Pierson had 12 and Daniels had nine.
"We've been pushing our pins to be better in those tough moments," Czipri said. "They found a way to be aggressive and still keep the ball in play."
Setter
Avery Rexroat (sophomore, Macomb, Ill.) paced the team with 44 assists. She added 14 digs for a double-double. Snow also had a double-double with 14 digs to go with her 13 kills.
Libero
Colleen Kenney (sophomore, Taylor Ridge, Ill., Rock Island Alleman HS) and defensive specialist
Ashli Harn (sophomore, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) each reached double digit totals on digs with 20 and 11, respectively. Middle hitter
Elyse Johnson (senior, Kirksville, Mo.) had two of Central's four service aces.
"Our goal is to be one of the best defensive teams in the conference," Czipri said. "In order to do that, you have to refuse to let the ball drop. For the most part, we found a way to keep the ball alive."
The Dutch will close out the regular season Friday with a pair of matches in Rock Island, Illinois. Central plays Marian University (Wis.) at 4 p.m. and Augustana College (Ill.) at 8 p.m.
