GAME ONE:
#13 LLCC defeats #15 Central Nebraska 25-15, 25-17, 25-22
LLCC headed to Iowa to play four ranked teams over the course of two days, traveling with a depleted roster as two players remain injured and one was away for a family event. The Loggers started shorthanded against perennial power Central Nebraska, ranked #15 in the NJCAA poll. LLCC started fast behind a kill from Ashley Melton and aggressive serves from libero Bobana Marusic, building a 9-5 lead. Behind the serves and defense of Taylor Thomas, the lead grew to 19-11, punctuated by a Thomas dive which landed on the opponent's side, giving her credit for a kill as well, leading to a 25-15 win.
The second set saw the two squads alternate points until 9-9 when three consecutive Kiley Brunstein kills helped open a 13-9 lead which eventually widened to 21-13 behind Molly Tauke's hitting and solid team back-row defense. The set ended on a kill from Olivia Dour.
The final set saw LLCC explode to a 7-2 early lead behind Melton and Tauke, though the Logger bugaboo of errors reared its head, permitting Central to tie the score at 9. LLCC never trailed, but couldn't pull away as points alternated to 21-21 before the Loggers finally ended the match with a 25-22 win.
"I won't lie, totally surprised," Coach Dietz started. "We traveled with only nine, so we have fewer on the squad than the other teams have kids on their bench. No bench means no room for error and we didn't need any against Central. We played smart, we were aggressive." Pointing at the stat sheet, he added, "We had seven people pick up assists. That tells you we're hustling and the team is working together, getting the job done. Molly (Tauke) and Kiley (Brunstein) hit .300 on the outside and that was big--you get kills out-of-system, you win matches."
GAME ONE STATS:
Digs: Thomas 10, Marusic 9
Aces: Melton 3, Marusic 2, Brunstein 2
Blocks: Melton 4, Miller 3
Assists: Jackson 33
Kills: Tauke 14, Brunstein 12
GAME TWO:
#7 Highland defeats LLCC 25-15, 25-20, 25-22
​​​​​​​LLCC got no rest after its resounding victory over Central Nebraska, immediately turning around to play the Top Ten Scotties of Highland. Unfortunately, the short roster showed as Highland swept the Loggers in three, 15-25, 20-25, 22-25.
The first set alternated points to 5-5 before LLCC committed six consecutive unforced errors, including giving up a point for having the wrong server. Highland quickly capitalized and didn't look back. In the second set, the errors came at the start as a series of overpasses and hitting errors put Lincoln Land in a 0-7 hole. The Loggers climbed out, coming close at 14-15 on a Molly Tauke kills and tying it at 20 with Lainey Jackson running a diverse offense at which point LLCC committed three additional unforced errors and couldn't recover. The final set was a repeat of the second with a run of five unforced errors helping Highland to a 7-0 lead that the Loggers brought to a 18-18 tie before Highland's big hitters took charge with swings that had no chance of being defended.
"We lost our focus right out of the gate. The out-of-rotation error showed that. It's unfortunate. I wish we would've sat a match, had time to let the other match wear off, give us a breather. With no bench, it's awfully hard to keep up with potential all-Americans team after team," Coach Dietz said. "And of course, tomorrow won't get easier. Johnson beat Parkland on the far court and we face them followed by one of Region IV's best teams in McHenry. We improved on some things, but still have a long ways to go in where we want to get to."
LLCC record: 6-5
Next: SAT vs. #10 JohnsonCounty, #18 McHenry
GAME STATS:
Digs: Marusic 12, Jackson 7
Aces: Brunstein 1
Blocks: Melton 2, Jackson 1, Brunstein 1
Assists: Jackson 27
Kills: Tauke 10, Brunstein 7, Melton 6
