9-7-16 By NATHAN HEUER nheuer@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS — Scotus Central Catholic graduate Maeghan Pieper led the seventh-ranked Raider volleyball team to a convincing victory Wednesday over Southeast Community College.
Central Community College won the match 25-18, 25-7, 25-10 at Raider Fieldhouse.
Pieper, a freshman, had a team-leading eight kills and tied for second on the team with five digs.
The victory was the sixth straight for the Raiders, putting their record at 9-2 on the season.
Sophomore Riley Dorn had 31 assists, three service aces, five digs and 1.5 blocks for the Raiders. That moves her season totals to an impressive 406 assists and 13 aces, leading the team in both categories.
"Riley Dorn is just as solid as we can get. She is a quiet leader and does everything that we ask of her. We go as Riley goes," Central head coach Mary Young said.
Libero Sydney Yong led the team in digs with seven and Keshia Ellwanger had seven kills and two blocks.
"Keshia has been real hard for teams to stop and Riley Dorn just is as steady as can be. I can't say enough about the work that she does," Young said. "Sydney Yong really has come along as a first-time libero for us. All of our freshmen have really adjusted. I'm really pleased with where they're at and I'm excited for where the season may take us."
After losing to two nationally ranked opponents in Lincoln Land Community College and Johnson County Community College early in the season, Young feels her team has made good progress, and it showed Wednesday night.
"We play national competition so we know where we need to be at. You only get better by playing the best and we felt like we did that our first weekend of play," said Young. "I wasn't real pleased with how we passed earlier in the year. It's getting better every day and every match. I'm really pleased with how the girls are feeling more comfortable with one another on the court. We play a lot of combinations and they're really adapting and adjusting well."
The road doesn't get easier moving forward as the Raiders open with defending national champion and top-ranked Parkland College in the Kirkwood Tournament at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Young believes her team is ready for the challenge with a don't-back-down mentality the players have developed.
"They fight, they fight hard, and I'm proud of the way they battle. It wasn't always clean tonight, but you look at the scores and we're really happy with that," she said. "We're playing hard and we play the national champion on Friday. We're excited. It's a good thing."
Pieper leads the team in kills with 97, Chainey Tompkin has a team-high 37 blocks and Yong is the team leader in digs with 151.
The Raiders play Friday against Parkland College and McHenry County College in the tournament hosted by Kirkwood Community College. Illinois Central College and Cowley County Community College are the opponents on Saturday.
The next home match for Central is Wednesday against Northeast Community College.
