10/11/14 • By Kyle Cummings / kcummings@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS – If there's one thing the Raiders proved, it's that they know how to start a match.
The National Junior College Athletic Association Division II, No. 6 Central Community College volleyball team controlled the first set of each match this weekend, going undefeated at the Columbus Volleyball Classic Friday and Saturday at the Raider Fieldhouse.
Central beat Bismarck State College and NJCAA Division II, No. 5 Cowley County Community College Friday and defeated Williston State College and NJCAA Division II, No. 7 Kansas City Kansas Community College Saturday.
"It's good to finish 4-0, especially with the quality of teams that we had in the tournament," Central head coach Mary Young said.
The Raiders took care of Bismarck State College in Central's first match of the tournament, 25-7, 25-17, 25-18.
After cruising to a 25-7 win in the first set, the Raiders switched around their lineup, turning to Brooke Robertson and Keely Woods as their setters.
Robertson led Central in assists with 17, followed by Cassidy Yong's 11 and Keely Woods' six assists.
"I think that says a lot about every single person on our roster," Young said. "We really mixed it up and we really needed to do that to give some players a rest and to help us when we get in a situation where we may have to switch up our lineup. I can't say enough of our entire lineup."
Skyler Erickson led the Raiders with 14 kills in the match, while Payton Chohon had seven and Anderson tacked on six kills.
Central then had a chance at redemption.
After falling to Cowley County Community College in straight sets Sept. 27, the Raiders knocked off Cowley 25-13, 25-11, 24-26, 25-18.
"To win that after being beaten by them a couple of weeks ago was real big for us," Young said.
Erickson led the Raider offense against Cowley with 13 kills, while Chohon and Anderson added 11 kills.
Yong tallied 50 assists in the win.
The Raiders picked up where they left of Friday, downing Williston State College in a quick 25-13, 25-10, 25-19 win to open Saturday.
Makaleigh Yantzie led the Raider offense with nine kills, with the help of Woods and Yong, each adding 12 assists.
Then, like every other match of the weekend, Central took control early against Kansas City Kansas Community College, grabbing the first two sets, 25-17, 25-18.
But Kansas City found a rhythm, offensively.
"We played with a lot of energy in sets one and two and we feel like we got a little bit frustrated in sets three and four," Young said. "We really had no reason to be frustrated with KCK. They're such a quality opponent, that we have to realize, they're going to get their hits, they're going to get their kills, they're going to get their aces."
Kansas City found those hits, kills and aces behind Kailee Dudley and Peyton Pender.
Dudley and Pender combined to record 15 kills, three blocks and two aces in the third and fourth set.
Central fought through that production, eventually tying the game at 23.
"We were just telling them to take care of the ball and pass it, because we were having a lot of success with our middles and right side when we were passing well," Young said. "Instead of realizing that and staying composed, we just let them get in our head a little bit. When we did that, we played frustrated instead of determined."
Kansas City closed the match on consecutive points to take the 25-23 win.
Central found that determination in the fifth set, though, coming out like a different team.
The Raiders ran off a 10-2 run to start the final set, cruising to a 15-6 win behind three kills from Yantzie.
"You could see in Set 5, we kind of regrouped and got back on track," Young said. "I can't say enough about Makaleigh Yantzie in Set 5, she was just on fire and we did a great job of getting the ball to her. In Set 5, when we needed a go-to player that could take care of it, I thought Makaleigh was there to get the job done."
Central improves to 26-5 with just a handful of regular season games remaining.
"We're getting later in the year so we have to start making our move and be able to solidify our positioning in the poll so we can really make that push into the last half of the season and into the postseason," Young said.
Friday at the Raider Fieldhouse
Match 1
Bismarck (16-10) 7 17 18
Central (26-5) 25 25 25
* KILLS: Bismarck - Chai Pappa 7, Addie Eamon 4, Rebekah Ellis 4, Ashley Bohrer 2, Rachel Schroeder 2, Katelyn Schaffner 1, Keely Hutchens 1; Central - Skyler Erickson 14, Payton Chohon 7, Megan Anderson 6, Morgan Nikkila 4, Makaleigh Yantzie 4, Makayla Augustine 3, Hillary Thege 1, Shayla Trotter 1
* BLOCKS: Bismarck - Schroeder 1, Eamon 1, Pappa 1; Central - Anderson 2, Thege 2, Chohon 2, Erickson 2, Yong 1, Yantzie 1, Nikkila 1
* ACE SERVES: Bismarck - Pappa 1; Central - Chohon 2, Erickson 2, Yong 1, Brooke Robertson 1, Molly Gotschall 1, Trotter 1
* ASSISTS: Bismarck - Rachael Hansana 7; Central - Robertson 17, Yong 11, Keely Woods 6
Match 2 Cowley 13 11 26 18
Central 25 25 24 25
* KILLS: Cowley - Kate Madsen 10, Shanna Witt 10, Aliya Higginbotham 10, Lana Da Silva 7, Shaeli Munroe 5, Danielle Cumes 1; Central - Erickson 13, Nikkila 12, Anderson 11, Chohon 11, Yantzie 8, Yong 4
* BLOCKS: Cowley - Higginbotham 2, Munroe 2, Da Silva 2, Morrow 1; Central - Anderson 5, Chohon 3, Erickson 3, Yong 3
* ACE SERVES: Cowley - Ali Jost 1; Central - Gotschall 1, Erickson 1, Yong 1
* ASSISTS: Cowley - Da Silva 26, Emily Reed 11, McKenna Poynter 2; Central - Yong 50
Saturday at the Raider Fieldhouse
Match 3
Central 25 25 25
Williston 13 10 19
* KILLS: Williston - Masyn Klose 7, Leah Sywanyk 4, Hannah Atlee 2, Hannah Ware 1, Payton Schieffer 1; Central - Yantzie 9, Chohon 6, Nikkila 6, Erickson 4, Anderson 3, Trotter 3, Thege 2, Yong 1, Woods 1
* BLOCKS: Williston - Sywanyk 2, Klose 1; Central - Thege 3, Yantzie 2, Anderson 2, Woods 1, Erickson 1, Chohon 1
* ACE SERVES: Williston - Sywanyk 2; Central - Chohon 3, Trotter 1, Woods 1
* ASSISTS: Williston - Ware 16; Central - Yong 12, Woods 12, Robertson 3
Match 4
Central 25 25 19 23 25
KCKCC 17 18 25 25 6
* KILLS: KCKCC - Blair Russell 15, Peyton Pender 10, Kailee Dudley 7, Carlyn Walsh 5, Lily Thornberg 5, Junelie Irizary 4, Jasdel Gonzalez 2; Central - Anderson 21, Erickson 16, Nikkila 14, Chohon 12, Yantzie 10, Yong 3
* BLOCKS: KCKCC - Russell 5, Irizary 4, Pender 3, Dudley 2, Walsh 1, Thornberg 1; Central - Anderson 4, Yong 2, Yantzie 2, Chhon 2, Nikkila 1
* ACE SERVES: KCKCC - Thornberg 38; Central - Yong 61