Trailblazers get back on track with split at Parkland Fall Challenge
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Vincennes University volleyball team got back in the win column Saturday evening with a two game split at the 2024 Parkland College Fall Challenge in Champaign.
The Blazers fell in their opening game of the day to NJCAA Division II No. 5-ranked Heartland Community College 20-25, 21-25, 13-25 before closing out the weekend strong with a sweep over Lincoln Land Community College 26-24, 26-24, 25-15.
Vincennes opened the day with a very tough test against a top five nationally ranked Heartland C.C. squad.
VU got the day started strong, building an early 9-6 advantage over the Hawks before Heartland was able to swing the momentum back with five unanswered points to take an 11-9 lead.
Vincennes would even the score before Heartland used a late 7-1 scoring run to pull away late and pick up the 25-20 victory in set one.
Set two began as another back-and-forth battle, with Heartland being the first team to break away with a 5-0 run to take a 17-12 lead.
VU would continue to battle, cutting the deficit down to two but were unable to completely erase the Heartland lead as the Hawks closed out set two 25-21 to take a 2-0 match lead.
Looking to avoid the sweep, the Trailblazers came out firing in set three, holding an early 6-4 lead before the Hawks grabbed the lead back with a 9-1 scoring run.
Vincennes would get the Heartland lead down to just a single point before the Hawks closed out the match with 11 straight points to take set three and the match 25-13.
The VU offense was led by sophomores Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil) and Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) who each finished with eight kills.
Dias would add one block, while Dalla Pozza added two blocks to her totals.
Sophomore Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) finished the match with six kills, two blocks and one dig, while sophomore Allison Czyzewski (Louisville, Ill.) and freshman Martyna Sadowska (Pila, Poland) each recorded four kills.
Czyzewski led the Blazers with three blocks in the match, while Sadowska finished with two blocks.
Freshman Paulina Fister (Tuszyn, Poland) rounded out the VU offensive numbers with two kills, five digs, one block and one set assist.
Freshman Rylee Edwards (Fairfield, Ill.) ran the Trailblazer offense from the setter position, finishing the match with 18 set assists, eight digs and one ace.
Sophomore Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) shared time with Edwards at the setter position, finishing the match with 13 set assists and three digs.
Sophomore libero Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) led the Blazers back row defense with nine digs and three set assists, while freshman Julianna Rettig (Antioch, Ill.) finished with eight digs.
Sophomore Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) and freshman Ashley Earp (Mattoon, Ill.) each saw the floor in the match, but did not record a stat.
“We were right with them for most of the match,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “I thought we played well in all phases and probably needed some better connections at the end of each set. They scored by other means as we picked up quite a few of their shots.”
The Trailblazers then had to quickly turn around and look to close out the weekend strong against Lincoln Land Community College.
This match proved to be very even right from the start with the two teams trading the lead seven times in the first set.
Vincennes found themselves facing set point before rallying back to close out the first set in overtime 26-24 to take a 1-0 match lead over the Loggers.
Set two started off strong for the Blazers, scoring seven straight points to take an early 7-1 lead.
Lincoln Land again refused to go away, battling back to take a 17-14 lead before Vincennes again swung the momentum back to take a late 20-18 lead.
Lincoln Land would reclaim the lead late in set two and again serve set point before VU closed out the set with three straight points to take set two in overtime 26-24 and gain a 2-0 match lead.
VU carried this momentum into set three, looking to close out the sweep and get back in the win column, VU opened set three with four straight points.
Vincennes would build on this early lead with a 4-0 scoring run and a 5-0 run midway through the set to take a 18-11 lead.
Lincoln Land tried to battle back and avoid the sweep but were unable to overcome the Vincennes lead as VU pulled away late to take set three 25-15 and complete the three set sweep over the Loggers.
VU sophomores Isadora Dias and Elisa Dalla Pozza again led the Trailblazer offense, finishing with eight kills each, while Dias added one block and Dalla Pozza finished with five digs, four blocks and one ace.
Allison Czyzewski ended her weekend with five kills and one block, while Martyna Sadowska ended the match with four kills, four blocks and a pair of digs.
Paulina Fister and Laura Tavares rounded out the offensive numbers with two kills each, with Fister leading the Blazers with 13 digs.
Libby Mehringer again led controlled the VU offense from the setter position, filling the stats sheet with 19 set assists, three kills, three digs, two aces and one block.
Rylee Edwards also helped move the ball for Vincennes as a setter, finishing the match with 14 set assists, six digs and one ace.
Libero Grace Flexter had a big match for the Trailblazers, finishing with six digs, an outstanding five aces and a pair of set assists.
Julianna Rettig ended her weekend with 10 digs in the match.
Ashley Earp saw the floor against Lincoln Land but did not record a stat.
“The changes in the line up we made in the Heartland match was able to jell better against Lincoln Land,” Sien added. “I thought Rylee and Libby ran a very good offense as the middle attack was more established. If the statistics are correct, our middles hit a combined .543 percent for both matches as Allison and Elisa had good numbers.”
“We served very tough as Grace, Libby and Rylee had a numbers of service runs,” Sien said. “We just played exceptional on defense as well, picking up a lot of roll shots and tips. Just the execution from beginning to end that we talked about after last night was there.”
The Trailblazers will look to build on this momentum as they head into next week, hitting the road for a Region 24 match against Frontier Community College Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. eastern.
This game will be played at Center Street Middle School in Fairfield, Ill.
VU will then return home to close out the week by hosting the 2024 Showdown on the Wabash Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5.
The Blazers will open the weekend tournament with a Region 24 match against Southwestern Illinois College Friday at 3 p.m. eastern before closing out day one against Wallace State Community College at 7 p.m. eastern.
Vincennes will close out the weekend slate Saturday by facing St. Louis Community College at 10 a.m. eastern and Calhoun Community College at 2 p.m. eastern.
“I’m stating the obvious that we had a rough week,” Sien said. “After the highs of last weekend from Alabama to the realities of Region play this week. Toss the records out the window. Region play is a whole different animal. It is a whole different level of competition as everyone you play with will be at a high level. We have to have our very best to meet their best at all times.”
