CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Vincennes University volleyball team faced another tough test Saturday afternoon on the final day of the Parkland College Fall Challenge against NJCAA Division II No. 4-ranked Heartland Community College and No. 10-ranked Lincoln Land Community College.

The Blazers split the day, falling to Heartland C.C. 21-25, 23-25, 23-25 before picking up another big five-set comeback victory to end the weekend against Lincoln Land 22-25, 13-25, 25-10, 25-16, 15-10.

Vincennes got off to a slow start Saturday against Heartland Community College, putting up a great fight by forcing two sets to go the distance, before ultimately falling in three sets to the Hawks 21-25, 23-25, 23-25.

“The whole day was like our version of Groundhog Day, it was a repeat of Friday,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “We did not play particularly well but yet remained within striking distance. It always goes back to our ball control. When that’s consistent, so is our offense. The offensive production was not very strong, as we are still in the midst of getting our lineup back how it was previously.”

The VU offense was led by freshman Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil) who recorded her second-career double-double with 10 kills, 12 digs, while also adding one block and an ace.

Freshman Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) had another big game at the net, ending with seven kills and a team-high four blocks, while also adding four digs and one ace.

Sophomores Kennedy Sowell (Effingham, Ill.) and Paige Parlanti (Las Vegas, Nev.) each recorded four kills, with Sowell adding two digs, while Parlanti recorded one dig.

Sophomore Audrey Buis (Franklin, Ind.) and freshman Laura Tavares (Meridia, Venezuela) each finished the game with three kills, with Buis also adding seven digs and a pair of aces, while Tavares recorded three digs and one block.

Freshman Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) rounded out the VU offense, finishing with two kills and one dig.

Sophomore Maecy Johnson (Chrisman, Ill.) ran the VU offense, ending the game with 33 set assists, three digs and one kill.

Sophomore libero Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) controlled the VU back row defense, finishing with a team-high 26 digs.

Freshmen Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) and Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) also added some extra help defensively. Flexter finished with four digs and DeCoursey added three digs.

The Blazers looked to close out the weekend on a high note against D-II No. 10 Lincoln Land but quickly fell behind early with the Loggers jumping out to a 20-9 advantage in the opening set.

VU would answer back, cutting the deficit down to one by outscoring Lincoln Land 13-3 but were unable to completely erase the big lead as the Loggers took set one 25-22.

Lincoln Land carried this momentum into set two, scoring the first six points of the set and later building a double-digit lead at 15-5.

The Blazers were unable to put together a big scoring run this time however as Lincoln Land looked to be in complete control by taking set two 25-13 and holding a 2-0 match lead.

Having faced this same situation yesterday against Southeastern Community College, the Blazers knew exactly what they had to do to get back in this match and went about it in a big way.

Vincennes used two 6-0 scoring runs early in set three to jump out to a big 16-3 advantage.

Lincoln Land would try to answer back but were unable to cut into the VU lead as Vincennes grabbed set three 25-10.

The Loggers looked to get back on track in set four, taking an early 6-3 lead before VU evened the score and took the lead with four unanswered to take a 13-10 advantage.

Vincennes would ride this momentum swing to outscore the Loggers 10-3 and close out the fourth set 25-16 to force a winner-take-all fifth set.

The fifth set began with the two teams trading side outs before VU grabbed the early advantage with a 7-5 lead.

Vincennes would put the match away with a 3-0 scoring run as the Trailblazers completed their second comeback from an 0-2 deficit in as many days, taking the fifth set 15-10.

“It’s called a reverse sweep,” Sien said. “When you come back to win a match after being down 0-2. Very unusual to have that happen on consecutive days. I thought the ‘sweeps’ part of the sets we won were very dominant, as we caught a glimpse of how the team was.”

“We are in the middle of reincorporating Paige and Audrey back into the lineup and that takes time,” Sien added. “It was a tough weekend. We were not at our best a good part of the time but it was encouraging to see us getting closer to reestablishing our team core. When that happens, our strength in blocking and offense step right to the forefront.”

The VU offense was led by Paige Parlanti who returned to the floor in a big way, picking up right where she left off with team-highs in 18 kills and 19 digs, while also adding a pair of blocks.

Isadora Dias also reached double-digit kills against Lincoln Land, finishing with 16 kills, seven blocks, two digs and one ace.

Audrey Buis had a good all-around game, ending with eight kills, 17 digs, two blocks and one set assist.

Middle blockers Elisa Dalla Pozza and Kennedy Sowell finished the weekend with a big game at the net, with Dalla Pozza ending with six kills, a team-high eight blocks, two digs and one set assist, while Sowell added five kills, six blocks, one dig and one set assist.

Laura Tavares rounded out the VU offense, ending with two kills, three digs and one block.

The offense was again run by setter Maecy Johnson who finished with 32 set assists, six digs and three blocks, while fellow setter Libby Mehringer added nine set assists and two digs.

Morgan Netcott patrolled the back row defense ending the weekend with 16 digs, two set assists and one ace.

The Trailblazers will look to continue this momentum into their next match when the Blazers return home to VU to play in front of the home fans for the first time since Sept. 14 and the first time on the Physical Education Complex floor since Aug. 26 when Vincennes hosts Region 24 opponent Wabash Valley College Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. eastern on Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.

The Blazers will keep the homestand going into the weekend when VU hosts the Showdown on the Wabash Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7.

Vincennes will take on St. Louis C.C. at 3 p.m. eastern and D-II No. 19 Wallace State C.C. at 7 p.m. eastern on Friday and Edison State C.C. Saturday at 2 p.m. eastern.

“We might have one of the toughest road schedules in the country,” Sien said. “We have played in three different states during this stretch. Playing against ranked opponents while dealing with lineup changes and so on. This tough stretch should prepare us well as the Region and District, unlike last year, are on the road. This has done an incredible job.”

“We will recognize the professors and staff members on Wednesday who have been influential in the lives of our students as part of our Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day,” Sien added. “These individuals have a special place in the hearts of our students. Their example and impact will be felt for a lifetime.”

BOX SCORE

GAME ONE

Heartland – 25   25   25   x   x

VUVB (20-4, 8-0) – 21   23   23   x   x

VINCENNES STATS

Grace Flexter – 4 digs

Audrey Buis – 5 points, 2 aces, 3 kills, 7 digs

Dylan DeCoursey – 3 digs

Morgan Netcott – 26 digs

Paige Parlanti – 4 points, 4 kills, 1 dig

Isadora Dias – 11.5 points, 1 ace, 10 kills, 1 block assist, 12 digs

Maecy Johnson – 1 point, 1 kill, 3 digs, 33 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 4 points, 4 kills, 2 digs

Elisa Dalla Pozza – 10.5 points, 1 ace, 7 kills, 1 solo block, 3 block assists, 4 digs

Laura Tavares – 3.5 points, 3 kills, 1 block assist, 3 digs

Libby Mehringer – 2 points, 2 kills, 1 dig

GAME TWO

Lincoln Land – 25    25    10   16    10

VUVB (21-4, 8-0) – 22   13    25    25   15

VINCENNES STATS

Audrey Buis – 9 points, 8 kills, 2 block assists, 17 digs, 1 set assist

Morgan Netcott – 1 point, 1 ace, 16 digs, 2 set assists

Paige Parlanti – 19 points, 18 kills, 2 block assists, 19 digs

Isadora Dias – 20.5 points, 1 ace, 16 kills, 7 block assists, 2 digs

Maecy Johnson – 1.5 points, 3 block assists, 6 digs, 32 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 8 points, 5 kills, 6 block assists, 1 dig, 1 set assist

Elisa Dalla Pozza – 10 points, 6 kills, 8 block assists, 2 digs, 1 set assist

Laura Tavares – 2.5 points, 2 kills, 1 block assist, 3 digs

Libby Mehringer – 2 digs, 9 set assists

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Nationally ranked Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams were back in action Saturday afternoon at the Live in Lou Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park.

The No. 12-ranked VU men’s team and No. 24-ranked VU women’s team were part of two massive races, including about 400 runners each.

The Trailblazers men’s team got the day started and quickly suffered a setback with sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) suffering an injury at the first start of the race and was unable to continue when the race was restarted.

VU was led by freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) who placed 73rd out of 389 runners, crossing the finish line at 27:14.2.

Freshmen Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) and Tanner Spencer (Carmi, Ill.) were the next to finish for Vincennes, with Hostetler finishing with a time of 28:23.2 and Spence at 28:35.2.

Freshman Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) and sophomore Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) followed close behind with Whitehead posting a time of 29:13.8 and Worzella ending at 29:44.1.

Freshmen Max Pendley (French Lick, Ind.) and John Hackney (Evansville, Ind.) ran a very tight race, with Pendley crossing the finish line at 30:20.7 and Hackney right behind him at 30:24.5.

The VU men’s team was rounded out by sophomores Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and Brayden Green (Sumner, Ill.) with Gray ending at 31:30.6 and Green coming in at 32:58.9.

The Trailblazers men’s team finished 33rd out of 48 teams in their race.

“It was a rough day for us,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “Isaac got spiked from behind in the first 100meters of the race and wasn’t able to walk after. All of the guys saw it happen, so it was really difficult for them to focus on the race not knowing if he was okay. Isaac is someone who leads and sets the tone for how things are going to go, so it really hurt us to lose him today.”

“Max ran the best race out of any of the guys,” Steigenga added. “He finished 14 seconds off his PR. It was great to see Max run with determination that carried him to a solid performance. He looked focused the entire race. This is only his second cross country season ever, so he has a bright future ahead of him.”

The No. 24-ranked VU women’s team got back to full strength Saturday and were led by freshman Emily Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who finished with a time of 21:20.3, good for 145th overall out of 401 runners competing.

Freshmen Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) and Lani Baskett (Sebree, Ky.) were the next VU finishers with Fuller finishing with a time of 22:27.4 and Baskett crossing the line at 22:42.7.

Sophomore Ada Peterman (Clay City, Ill.) and freshman Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) closed out the VU scorers Saturday, with Peterman finishing with a time of 23:02.0 and Self posting a time of 23:37.7.

Freshmen Madeline Esslinger (Bloomington, Ind.) and Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) closed out the VU day in Louisville, with Esslinger finishing at 24:12.2 and Haynes crossing the line with a time of 26:08.6

The VU Women’s Cross Country team finished 43rd overall out of 50 teams.

“We were back to full strength on the women’s side with all seven runners competing,” Steigenga said. “It was good to see Emily get out there and compete after dealing with an injury for the last two weeks. She’s quite far from her best but should improve a lot now that she’s getting back into regular training.”

“Adi and Madeline each had good performances as they finished eight and 13 seconds respectively off their season best times,” Steigenga added.

The Blazers will look to improve as the teams prepare to take part in the Angel Mounds Invitational Friday, Oct. 13 in Evansville, Ind.

This will serve as the final tune up for Vincennes before heading to the NJCAA Region 24 Cross Country Championships Thursday, Oct. 26 in Charleston, Ill.

“Having all seven women back to racing this weekend is a solid takeaway from the meet,” Steigenga said. “We just need to get a few girls healthy after dealing with some injuries and we’ll be able to finish well.”

“On the men’s side, with Isaac running, we would have finished 24th instead of 33rd today, which still doesn’t correlate to how well we did two weeks ago at Terre Haute,” Steigenga said. “It was a disappointing meet for the team, but we are still in a good place with training. The fitness that carried us to great performances two weeks ago hasn’t gone anywhere. We will have another opportunity in two weeks to get back on track.”

MEET RESULTS

MEN’S RESULTS

VINCENNES (33) – 838

Cody Noel (73) – 27:14.2

Caden Hostetler (166) – 28:23.2

Tanner Spence (181) – 28:35.2

Nathan Whitehead (223) – 29:13.8

Griffin Worzella (249) – 29:44.1

Max Pendley (277) – 30:20.7

John Hackney (281) – 30:24.5

Matthew Gray (319) – 31:30.6

Brayden Green (347) – 32:58.9

WOMEN’S RESULTS

VINCENNES (43) – 1,090

Emily Barbosa (145) – 21:20.3

Adi Fuller (242) – 22:27.4

Lani Baskett (263) – 22:42.7

Ada Peterman (278) – 23:02.0

Jasmyn Self (312) – 23:37.7

Madeline Esslinger (331) – 24:12.2

Grayson Haynes (375) – 26:08.6