Lindsay Jennings Oct. 24, 2008

Central sweeps in own tourney

PELLA—Middle hitter Lindsay Jennings (junior, Atkins, Benton HS) had a combined 25 kills as the Central College volleyball team scored two victories in its own tournament Friday.

The Dutch defeated Wis.-Stout 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18 and Wis.-Platteville 25-22, 16-25, 25-18, 25-14 in the six-team Central Invitational.

Jennings hit .375 in the first match and .333 in the nightcap.

Against Wis.-Stout, outside hitter Miranda Kouba (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS) had 12 kills and 17 digs and right-side hitter Ashley Ellingson (sophomore, West Des Moines, Valley HS) had 10 kills. Setter Maggie Snyder (freshman, Alexandria, Minn., Jefferson HS) recorded a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs while setter Megan Callahan (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS) had 20 assists. Libero Maggie Nowicki (senior, Madison, Wis., Edgewood HS) had 17 digs.

In the win over Wis.-Platteville, outside hitter Michelle Ripperger (junior, Urbandale) had 11 kills and hit a sizzling .588. Kouba and Ellingson added eight kills and Snyder had 22 assists. Nowicki had 28 digs and Callahan had 13.

Coach Kent Clayberg also cited a pair of freshmen, Snyder and middle hitter Haley Brillhart (Pella).

“Haley and Maggie were both very steady for us and that’s what was important,” he said. “And Shayna Jacobs (sophomore, Ripon, Calif.) saw her first extended action of her career. She wasn’t dominant but she was also steady.”

The Dutch struggled in the second set in both matches.

“We struggled at times in each match and it was all about getting the right kind of matchups,” Clayberg said. “We changed our rotation up and found the right places for the right people.”

Central improved to 16-13, its high-water mark for the season. Wis.-Stout fell to 4-20 while Wis.-Platteville is 15-14. The Dutch take on Augustana (Ill.) at 10 a.m. Saturday and Millikin (Ill.) at 2 p.m.