Dutch struggle in road volleyball contest
DUBUQUE — The Central College volleyball team was unable to get its offense rolling as the University of Dubuque won in a 25-14, 25-18, 25-16 sweep Friday night.
The Dutch (15-10, 2-5 American Rivers Conference) were held under 30 kills for the fourth time this season against the Spartans (17-10, 3-3 conference). The team’s .017 hitting percentage was its lowest of the season.
“We struggled to get into a groove and a lot of that was due to the way the Dubuque was playing,” coach Jeanne Czirpi said. “Kudos to them for doing a lot of things to keep us at bay.”
Middle hitter Hana Edgerton (senior, Grundy Center) was Central’s top hitter, notching six kills in 15 attempts for a .200 hitting percentage. Middle hitter Kayleigh Fite (junior, Florissant, Mo, Trinity Catholic HS), right side hitter Erin Dilger (senior, Tinley Park, Ill., Lincoln Way North HS) and outside hitter Krissa Larson (sophomore, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) each had five kills.
Libero Landry Luhring (sophomore, Grundy Center) led the team with 19 digs while Fite had a season-high 14. Setter Amanda Smith (freshman, Tipton) had 14 assists.
“As a coach, there are some matches you want to have back and redo,” Czipri said. “This is one of them. I’m grateful we have this moment to learn from, and we will for sure need to be resilient and bounce back.”
Central remains in Dubuque for Saturday’s match at Loras College, which starts at 4 p.m.
“We had some fight today and we are going to need that tomorrow,” Czipri said. “I fully believe in each member of this team and their abilities and roles.”
