Much-improved from a season ago, the Charger Volleyball team found the win column Saturday afternoon, as they split a pair of contests (and nearly won both) against Elgin Community College and Triton College. MUAC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in both matches, before finishing off Elgin 3-1 and falling to Triton 3-2. Below is a brief recap of how their fared in each matchup.
vs. Elgin: The Spartans were a skilled team who seemed to match the Chargers nearly every play. But MUAC fought extremely hard from beginning to end, they showed improvement from day-1, and they were able to make several "clean" plays throughout that separated them from Elgin. In the end, the Chargers won 3-1, with individual game scores of 25-19, 25-18, 25-27, and 25-18. 6-foot Freshman Kayla Ford-Harvey (.333) led the team in hitting, plus she added two single block kills and four assists. Sophomores Katelyn Bryan (.278) and Sarah Tepp (.261) also posted solid hitting numbers. As she did Friday, Freshman Emma LaPato (20 serve receive passes, 28 digs) led the team defensively. Tepp (19 serve receive passes, 19 digs) also helped in that regard to have a nice, complete game.
vs. Triton: With the game against Elgin running late, the Chargers basically had to switch courts and play almost immediately, following a short warmup. Riding the momentum from the Elgin victory, MUAC jumped out to a 2-0 lead, 25-21, 27-25. However, Triton battled back to claim the third set 25-15. Nearly every point in the fourth set was back and forth, and it seemed like either team could win, but the Trojans found the final two points to win 25-23. In the fifth and final set, a race to 15 points, it was tied 8-8. However, the Trojans once again found the momentum and outscored the Chargers 7-1 to finish the contest, winning 15-9 and three games to two. Sophomore Kayla Ford-Harvey (.276) again led in hitting, while Sophomore Sarah Tepp (.229) put together another solid outing. The trio of Tepp (30 serve receive passes, 15 digs), Freshman Kaitlynn Kelderhouse (31 serve receive passes, 26 digs), and Freshman Emma LaPato (28 serve receive passes, 21 digs) were all strong defensively.
Following four games in two days, Head Coach Heaven Donovan seemed very encouraged, "after a much-needed night's rest, the girls came to the gyms ready to go (Saturday). Winning against Elgin really helped these girls see what we as coaches see...that they can win if they play hard and have the correct mindset. Although we lost our final game of the showcase, no heads were hanging. These girls played with great effort and played mostly clean volleyball all weekend. As a coach, there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing these student-athletes consistently grow."
