Nathan Heuer/The Columbus Telegram nheuer@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS — Eighth-ranked Central Community College made quick work of No. 11 Northeast Community College during Wednesday's match at Raider Fieldhouse, sweeping the Hawks 25-19, 25-14, 25-22.
The Raiders used a balanced effort from their offense and defense to battle from early deficits in sets one and three to earn the win.
Central head coach Mary Young thought her team played well. But there is still plenty of room for improvement, even after sweeping a top-15 opponent.
"I felt that we had some better games, but we're a work in progress so we get better every day. At times I really liked the way we handled scramble plays and what we got out of those situations," Young said. "We need to get better defensively and in passing so we can get better plays off of the first serve and pass. We have some room to grow
Keshia Ellwanger and Maeghan Pieper set the tone on offense for Central with nine kills apiece. Chainey Tompkin led the way on defensive with six blocks and Sydney Yong had a team-leading 15 digs.
Pieper also had 13 digs, while Kit Wells got the only service ace of the night for the Raiders.
Young was impressed with many of her players' performances on the court in a matchup of ranked teams.
"Ellwanger was tough on the outside and Pieper was tough in the middle. They did some really nice, smart things," she said. "Sydney Yong did very well in the backcourt. She started things off for us and calmed us down a bit. I thought Kit Wells came in and served the ball really well. As a sophomore she's really grown. I'm really proud of her."
The Raiders are now 5-4 against nationally ranked competition. Central was coming off arguably the toughest tournament of the season last weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the Raiders faced ranked opponents in all four of their matches.
Central, which went 2-2 at the Kirkwood Tournament, is 12-4 on the season after Wednesday's victory.
Next up for the Raiders is the Iowa Western Community College triangular that also includes Cloud County Community College. The matches are set for 5 and 7 p.m. Friday in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
