#5 LLCC defeats Kansas City, Kansas 16-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-12
#5 LLCC defeats Waubonsee CC 25-18, 25-15, 25-10
LLCC finished its own tournament as co-champions with Region XXIV school Parkland (both went 4-0 on the weekend). LLCC defeated Kansas City, Kansas Community College (KCK) in the first match and then swept the Waubonsee Chiefs in the finale.
In the first match, the Loggers came out in a fog, called for three net violations and three service errors in the first six rotations, permitting KCK to build a big lead and score an opening 25-16 win. KCK built a 9-2 lead in the second set before the Loggers finally began avoiding unforced errors. Behind the serves of Carissa Smith and Kourtney Bilyeu's blocking, LLCC came back, outscoring KCK 23-9 the rest of the way. The final two sets saw Lincoln Land carry that energy forward as Bailey Rexroad and Addie Patton found holes in the Devil defense. "The first set—ugh," Coach Dietz said afterwards. "Three syllable ugly. Ug-uh-ly. I was glad we came back; Kourtney played with great energy in the second set and I think that made a significant difference."
In the final match, LLCC was in control against the Chiefs the entire way, helped by stellar passing as the Loggers were not aced in the match, permitting the team to hit over .350 in a balanced attack. "When you pass everything well, you're going to hit so much better because of it. I also think Kiersten made some great decisions distributing the ball. It's nice to go 4-0, but that's the past. We have to look to Southwestern Illinois this next week."
The Loggers now are 27-6 on the season. They play next week @ Southwest Illinois College
Tonight's victory also gave Head Coach Jim Dietz his 400th win at Lincoln Land, extending his school record for victories. Milestone win for Coach Dietz include the follwing:
Win #1: 8/26/06 vs. Florissant Valley
Win #50: 9/29/07 vs. Allen County CC
Win#100: 11/9/08 vs. Shawnee CC
Win #200: 10/29/11 vs. Kankakee
Win #250: 9/18/13 vs. Lincoln College
Win #300: 8/29/15 vs. Mineral Area College
Win #350: 9/16/16 vs. Illinois Central College
Win #400: 10/21/17 vs. Waubonsee CC
Match Stats:
Stats vs. KCK:
Digs: Marusic 24, Beekman 16
Aces: Beekman 2, 3 tied w/1
Blocks: Bilyeu 4, 3 tied w/2
Assists: Anderson 48
Kills: Patton 14, Rexroad 13
Stats vs. WCC:
Digs: Marusic 10, Edwards 8
Aces: Anderson 6, 4 tied w/1
Blocks: Rexroad 2, Patton 2
Assists: Anderson 35
Kills: Beekman 10 Cunningham 7
