Tuesday night, the third-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team put on a quick and decisive showing for the home crowd.

Playing inside Hodges Fieldhouse for the first time this season, the Tritons swept the Briar Cliff JV by scores of 25-15, 25-15 and 25-16.

Iowa Central (5-0 overall) opened the 2021 fall campaign at a tournament in Illinois this past weekend. They are coming off a program-best third place performance at nationals this past spring, and return several key members of that rotation.

"We had some nerves there to start," Iowa Central head coach Sara Horn said. "We played a lot of freshmen who haven't played college volleyball in front of a crowd like this. That can take some getting used to, but I thought we adjusted quickly."

After the Chargers recorded the first point of the match, the Tritons scored 13 of the next 20 to take command. They put together runs of three, three and four consecutive before closing things out.

Leading 10-9 in the second, Iowa Central again went on a run, tallying four consecutive points and nine of 14 before scoring the final six in a row. Humboldt graduate Jori Hajek had the 25th point with an ace.

Briar Cliff fought back after seeing six consecutive points go up on the scoreboard by the Tritons, recording five in a row to cut a 14-6 deficit to 14-11. The experience, though, of Iowa Central shined in the end, as they went on a match-closing 10-4 spurt.

One of those key newcomers, Brooke Dobson, had a big night. Dobson was involved heavily in the offense along with returning standouts Haley Alharithy, Alesha Johnson and Hajek. 

"Brooke has played middle, right and left so far, and really done a great job in all three spots," Horn said. "We're still working to see where she fits in best, but she is a tremendous athlete and I thought that showed on the court."

"It was good to get our first home match under our belts," Horn said. "We have a schedule that is filled with a lot of tough teams coming here to play, so it was important for us to perform well (Tuesday night)."

Dobson finished with 15 kills, Hajek had nine, Alharithy six and both Molly McCauley and Michaelah Petrowiak four. Hajek had 12 digs, Dugan 11 and Baylyn Johnson nine. 

Alesha Johnson finished with 31 assists and two aces. Hajek had three aces, Baylyn Johnson and Bria Sandifer two each.

The Tritons return home on Friday, hosting Kansas City-Kansas at 3 p.m. and Marshalltown at 7 p.m.

-By Dana Becker