Hensley, the leader of the Iowa Central women's wrestling team, saw his second-ranked Tritons fall to No. 1 and defending national champion Indian Hills, 32-18, inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

An ex-Iowa Central wrestler himself under Luke Moffitt, Hensley was quick to look forward following the defeat.

"We want to get them in March at nationals," he said. "This was a tough night, but I still saw some good things. We got caught out of the gates and got behind early.

"We'll learn from this and start working towards getting better each day."

After dropping the first four matches to the Warriors, the Tritons got on the board with a technical fall from Bronwyn Brenneman at 130 pounds. Former Fort Dodge Senior High state champion Alexis Ross followed with a decision at 136 and Kammie Schanz made it three in a row with a technical fall at 143.

"Bronwyn proved she is the best in the country," Hensley said. "Alexis continues to grow and is looking better and better every time she steps out there.

"And Kammie, that was just impressive. She is electric and is must see wrestling. We are glad to have her back."

Indian Hills secured the dual with three consecutive wins after that before Maranda Bell topped Karla Padilla Zepeda with a fall in the final match.

While the Warriors did not use top-ranked 235-pounder Eliana Bommarito, Zepeda is currently No. 2 at the weight.

"Maranda has been battling for us and she showed what she is capable of against a very tough opponent," Hensley said. "Hopefully, she can use that going forward and it gives her some confidence."

Duchess King, ranked No. 1 at 101 pounds, topped second-ranked Emma Lewis with a technical fall to begin the dual for Indian Hills. Javanica Mickens, fifth at 116, moved down to 109 and topped No. 2 Dianna Pineda with a fall while Shammilka Miranda Diaz and second-ranked Angelica Vicente added wins for the Warriors.

"I felt like we had a great chance coming in to be square or better after those first four matches," Hensley said. "That didn't happen and we put ourselves in a tough spot. I was proud of the team for responding there and never giving up."

Brenneman, ranked second and a third place finisher at nationals last year, had no trouble with Amaria Ridgner. Ross, who is third, used her experience to hold off Ruth Jimenez.

Schanz, also rated third, tossed Sarah Lewis, ranked eighth, around the mat with several big-point moves to quickly put the match away.

Iowa Central returns to action Dec. 10 at the NCC Open in Naperville, Ill. The next home dual is set for Jan. 24 vs. Ellsworth.