DMACC VOLLEYBALL TOPS CENTRAL CC IN REGION 11-A SEMIFINALS, 3-0
Bears improve to 21-15 for the season
· Freshman Malia Clayburg leads DMACC with seven kills
· Sophomore Ramsey Johnston contributes 17 assists
· Freshman Kaylie Simons comes away with 19 digs
Freshman Malia Clayburg of Coon Rapids had seven kills to lead the DMACC volleyball team to a 3-0 win over Central (Neb.) Community College (CNCC) in the Region 11-A semifinals October 31 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
Sophomore Alli Sheldahl of Hubbard and freshman Sydney Blackmore of Holstein added six kills apiece and sophomore Ramsey Johnston had five as the Bears defeated the Raiders for the second time this season, winning by set scores of 25-23, 25-15, 25-15 to improve to 21-15 for the season.
The win was the fifth straight for the Bears, ranked 18th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, their longest winning streak of the season. Four of those five wins have come by 3-0 scores.
Clayburg hit .217 with her seven kills coming from 23 attacks with two hitting errors. Sheldahl came away with a .400 hitting percentage as her six kills came from 15 attacks with no hitting errors and Blackmore’s six kills came from 13 attacks with one hitting error for a .385 percentage.
DMACC, the tournament’s No. four seed, hit .269 in the win, getting 35 kills from 104 attacks with seven hitting errors.
Johnston and sophomore Paige De Jong of Pella topped the Bears in assists with 17 and 10 respectively and sophomores Indy Johnson of Clarion and Kathryn Lukkarinen of Macomb, Ill., contributed two service aces apiece.
Freshman Kaylie Simons of Carroll led DMACC in digs with 19 and Johnson, De Jong and Lukkarinen added nine apiece. Freshman Cadence Hotz of Macomb, Ill., had six block assists and Blackmore came away with four.
The DMACC volleyball team will face Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in the Region 11-A championship match Nov. 4 at Cedar Rapids. KCC, the No. 1 team in NJCAA Division II and the tournament’s top seed, is 33-0 after handing eighth-seeded Southwestern Community College (SWCC) a 3-0 loss in the other Region 11 semifinal match. The Eagles were 3-0 winners over DMACC when the two teams played Sept. 2 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
The Region 11-A champion will advance to the 2026 NJCAA Division II Volleyball National Championships or the North Central-B District championship depending on the outcome of the Region 11-B volleyball tournament.
