How did the Iowa Central volleyball team follow up one of the biggest wins in program history?
By sweeping two more opponents, including another ranked foe.
The second-ranked Tritons finished off play in their home tournament here Saturday inside Hodges Fieldhouse with 3-0 wins over William Penn JV and No. 9 Illinois Central.
On Friday night, Iowa Central (12-0 overall) knocked off top-ranked Parkland in three.
Katilyn Steffes had 22 kills and 24 digs in the win over Illinois Central, the No. 1 seed in the national tournament in the spring. Haley Alharithy and Brooke Dobson each had eight kills, Alesha Johnson 46 assists with 12 digs, Baylyn Johnson 16 digs and Angel Baylark six kills.
"This weekend was a great chance for us to play four quality opponents, and the first time all season that we had everyone back from injuries," Iowa Central head coach Sara Horn said. "Knocking off the No. 1 team on Friday would have been a little less impactful had we turned around and lost (Saturday).
"Our girls did a great job of pushing through and keeping their level high even after we started to get tired in our fourth match in two days. I'm really proud of the way we responded to the challenges this weekend and it's exciting to see our potential start to reveal itself."
Jori Hajek added nine digs, four kills and a serving ace, while Molly McCauley had four kills.
"It was a lot of fun," said Johnson, one of several returning players from Iowa Central's third place team at nationals. "We really came together as a team and everyone was ready to go. Every person stepped up, whether they were on the court or not."
Johnson also acknowledged the incredible support provided by the Triton fans.
"The crowd was amazing," she said. "We had recently been on the other side of a big crowd during the week where we were the ones getting booed, so it was nice for us to feel what it's like to have everyone's support. Big crowds contribute so much as they can psych out the other team and really motivate the girls.
"I think the crowd really helped us stay up, but I think the credit goes to the team as a whole as we were on. (Saturday) we also had some good wins. It's hard to always play up, but as long as we're all in the same mindset, we'll dominate."
Steffes was named the MVP of the tournament and Johnson the best setter. Both made the all-tournament team from Iowa Central.
Baylark had seven kills, Steffes six, with Alharithy, Hajek and Dobson adding five each vs. William Penn. Johnson picked up 26 more assists and Bria Sandifer had five serving aces.
The Tritons return to ICCAC play on Wednesday when they host No. 12 Des Moines Area at 7 p.m.
-By Dana Becker