Volleyball Continues to Roll
The SMC Volleyball Team won twice this week and now sits atop the Western Conference standings.
The Roadrunners won a 5 set thriller over Glen Oaks 23-25, 24-21, 21-25, 25-22, 15-6 to open up conference play on September 12. "We knew it was going to be a tough match tonight, and we prepared in practice to stay aggressive, play to win, spread out our scoring on the net, and really use our block to slow down a couple of their power hitters," said SMC Head Coach Jenny Nate. "We have been working hard in practice to win the 5th set, so when it came time to play that final set, the team did a great job executing and controlling the runs, energy, and stamina to finish with the 15-6 final score. Wins like these take a lot of grit, compare, and teamwork, and the players off the court were as loud as the players on the court, and that's what it's takes to finish these tight matches - total team effort. I'm so proud of this team. Now, we get back to work tomorrow and prepare for Ancilla on Thursday."
Leading serving scorers vs. Glen Oaks: Josie West, 16 points; Bianca Hobson 12 points, 4 aces; Sophia Deeds 12 points, 2 aces; Emma Beckman 9 points, 2 aces; Nikki Nate 4 points, 1 ace
Kills: Nikki Nate 21, Bianca Hobson 9, Josie West 7, Juliette Schroeder 6, Sophia Deeds 6, Emma Beckman 6
Blocks: Nikki Nate 6, Sophia Deeds 4, Bianca Hobson 2, Juliette Schroeder 2, Emma Beckman 2
Digs: Nikki Nate 19, Sophia Deeds 18, Josie West 17, Emma Beckman 7, Anna Johnson 7, Bianca Hobson 6
Assists: Emma Beckman 22, Anna Johnson 21
Then on Thursday at home, the Roadrunners swept Marian Ancilla 25-13, 25-7, and 25-15. "Tonight was a great night for our team," Nate said. "It was great to have a big conference sweep on our home court with our entire team getting playing time. Josie West is out with an ankle injury, so we had to make a few lineup changes, and the team really stepped up, embraced some shuffling around, and got the job done. All of our players play almost everywhere at practice which prepares us for nights like tonight or sudden changes that sometimes happen during matches when players have to slide into multiple positions. We appreciated our home crowd which always adds to our energy and level of play too. Now, we move forward, head to practice tomorrow, and prepare for Lansing on Tuesday."