Central stops volleyball skid with win
DECATUR, ILLINOIS —The Central College volleyball team triumphantly returned to the win column Friday night with a 25-16, 25-15, 25-20 sweep over Fontbonne University
Playing at the Millikin Invitational, the Dutch (4-8) ended their seven-match losing streak by defeating the Griffins (5-4) in straight sets.
“Our girls have been working hard and have been pretty frustrated these last few weeks,” coach Jeanne Czipri said. “We had some injuries that really affected what we initially thought would work for us. We finally made a big mental breakthrough at practice yesterday.”
As a team, Central had 37 kills with a .293 hitting percentage. Gracie Daniels (junior, outside hitter, Broken Arrow, Okla.) had a team-high 13 kills and Natalie Gaszynski (senior, outside hitter, Huntley, Ill.) had six.
“We played smarter volleyball and weren’t afraid to step outside our comfort zone to make points happen,” Czipri said.
The Dutch notched 14 service aces, including five from Amanda Smith (senior, setter, Tipton) and four from Elyse Johnson (junior, middle hitter, Kirksville, Mo.).
“We did much a better job siding out quicker and possessing our service longer,” Czipri said.
Smith had 19 set assists and Avery Rexroat (freshman, setter, Macomb, Ill.) had 13. Libero Ivett Flores (sophomore, Windsor, Colo.) had 15 digs and Gwen Kahlke (sophomore, defensive specialist, Blandinsville, Ill., West Prairie HS added 10.
Central has two more matches at Millikin tomorrow, including against the host at 11 a.m. and Eureka College (Ill.) at 1 p.m.
