By: Messenger Sports Staff
The 11th-ranked Iowa Central volleyball had a successful start in their quest for a sixth consecutive ICCAC Div. II championship here Wednesday night, sweeping Southeastern.
Scores were 30-28, 25-23 and 25-23.
With several new faces on the court inside Hodges Fieldhouse, the Tritons (6-1 overall, 1-0 in league) were forced to scratch and claw for every point vs. the Blackhawks.
"It's definitely a gritty bunch," ICCC head coach Sara Horn said. "We have a lot of sophomores that maybe didn't get as much playing time last year that we are counting on this season. Several of the girls stayed here over the summer and really put in the time and work to improve.
"We don't have a (Katilyn Steffes) who was the national player of the year," Horn said. "Instead, we have a handful of girls stepping up to replace her."
Noemia Chiacchio, one of those returning second-year players, had a match-high 16 kills to go along with 11 digs and two aces to lead Iowa Central, who has won 21 straight ICCAC matches overall.
Manson Northwest Webster graduate Emily Goodner added 10 kills while her former Cougar teammate Olivia Sturgis had five. Emma Bilhimer also had five kills, as did Araya Garrison.
Mya McClain, a sophomore from St. Edmond, recorded 19 digs with two assists and an ace. Alexis Hiracheta, a Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, added 12 digs and an ace.
"It was great to see them step up out there," Horn said. "I thought our ball control was very good and we continue to grow into a stronger team on offense."
Mercedes Madlock had 36 assists with 13 digs and five block assists for Iowa Central, who had 16 block assists as a team.
Since the 2018 season, the Tritons have gone 52-4 in conference matches, with three of those coming during the year they were combined with teams from the ICCAC's Div. I league.
The next five matches for Iowa Central will take place at home, including two this Friday and two more Saturday. They host Neosho (3 p.m.) and Central-Columbus (6:30 p.m.) before playing No. 13 Illinois Central (11:15 a.m.) and 18th-ranked Bismarck State (1 p.m.).
As for conference play, that returns to the court next Wednesday vs. seventh-rated Kirkwood at 7 p.m.