Central gets volleyball win in Virginia
Central College
DANVILLE, VA. — Central College hit an efficient .324 and pulled off its first 2014 volleyball victory and a split of its first-ever matches played in Virginia.
After Roanoke (Va.) escaped the Dutch with a 26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18 morning win, Central rebounded with a 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 sweep of host Averett (Va.) in the Averett University Cougar Classic.
In the first set of the opener, Central and Roanoke were tied 15 times before Roanoke pulled out the victory and went on to take the match. The Dutch hit just .174. Senior outside hitter Shantell Gish (Cedar Rapids, Prairie HS) and junior right-side hitter Emily Stoakes (Gladbrook, Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS) each had nine kills while senior middle hitter Hannah Welter (Lincoln, Neb., Southwest HS) had seven with three blocks. Setter Madi Maddox (sophomore, Tulsa, Okla., Bishop Kelly HS) had 16 assists and libero Dzenita Bahtic (senior, Urbandale) had 39 digs.
“We played very uptight in the first match,” coach Kent Clayberg said. “We don’t run an offense that allows us to be timid. We just created a lot of errors for ourselves.”
But the Dutch offense kicked into high gear against Averett. Welter and Gish each had eight kills while Stoakes and sophomore outside hitter Nicole Ewoldt (Hull, Boyden-Hull HS) each had five. Setter Claire Stewart (senior, Colorado Springs, Colo., Classical Academy HS) had 21 assists.
“We were so much faster,” Clayberg said. “Offensively, we looked very impressive at times. We had a nice balance of speed and power.”
The Dutch also displayed some depth, bolstered by a talented freshman class.
“We used four outside hitters and felt like there wasn’t a dropoff,” Clayberg said. “It’s nice to have the flexibility to move people around and put ourselves in good situations.”
The turnaround from the first to second match mirrors what Clayberg has seen from his team in early workouts.
“Everything we gave them in the preseason, they processed it, they struggled and they got better,” he said.
“I like this team. It’s going to be a fun team to coach. They’re able to make adjustments and they’ve got some physical talent to back it up.”
Tourney play concludes Sunday. Central meets two other unfamiliar foes, taking on Emory & Henry (Va.) at 9 a.m. (Eastern Time) and William Peace (N.C.) at 11 a.m. Emory & Henry also split two matches, defeating Guilford (N.C.) but losing to Averett in four sets. William Peace was swept by Roanoke but took three straight from Guilford.
The Dutch will make a quick sightseeing trek to the Atlantic Ocean before returning to Iowa Monday.
