WARRIORS STORM BACK TO KNOCK OFF REIVERS AT HELLYER
October 15, 2026
Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Volleyball squad stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to knock off conference foe Iowa Western Community College and claim the regular season Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) championship Thursday night at the Hellyer Center. The Warriors improve to 18-9 overall on the year.
For the fifth consecutive season, the Warriors claimed the regular season title over the Reivers after taking the first two matches of the best-of-three series this season. Indian Hills has now won seven consecutive matches vs. Iowa Western. The win also extends the Warriors’ home winning streak to 23 consecutive matches dating back to the 2023 campaign.
Despite a strong showing to open the night in front of a packed crowd at the Hellyer Center, the Warriors fell behind two sets to none, 26-24 and 25-20. With a chance to host the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Volleyball Midwest District Championship on the line, the Warriors surged back with back-to-back 25-20 set victories to force a decisive fifth set.
Indian Hills carried its momentum over to the final frame, building a quick 5-0 lead to put the final set out of reach as the Warriors cruised to a 15-6 victory and a 3-2 match win.
The Warriors relied on a number of impressive performances, including freshman Elsa Dermis Cuevas Perez’s (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Matias Ramon Mella) sixth consecutive match in double-digit kills with a team-high 13.
Freshman Ki Schachle (Wasilla, Alaska/Wasilla) produced one of her most effective matches of the season with 10 kills on a career-high 27 attempts to go along with a pair of service aces and two block assists at the net.
Fellow freshman Alisha Perez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/IMG Academy) tallied 10 kills on the night along with two total blocks for the Warriors.
Kanade Yamagishi (Osaka, Japan/Kochi Chuo) anchored the defense once again with 23 digs, the freshman’s ninth match this season with 20+ digs, including six of the last seven contests.
The duo-setter tandem of Sofia Silveira (Lisbon, Portugal/António Damásio) and Ana Silva (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil/Major Aviador José Mariotto) combined for 42 assists, four service aces, and 19 digs in an all-around solid showing for the Warriors.
With the win, the Warriors earned the right to host the upcoming NJCAA DI Volleyball Midwest District Tournament, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Hellyer.
Next up for the Warriors is the regular season home finale against Jefferson College (MO) on October 20 at 5:30 PM, which will also serve as sophomore day for the squad.
