By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---The No. 9 Owens Community College women's volleyball team faced its toughest test of the season against No. 1 Parkland (IL) College today and nearly won two sets before falling in straight sets. Following that, the team sweeped Jackson College to finish out its play in the Owens Invitational, which was held in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) all weekend.
Owens is now 7-3 overall, but 7-1 against National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II teams. They will be back in action this coming Friday at Sinclair Community College beginning at 6 p.m. The match will mark the start of Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play for both teams. Owens then returns home Saturday for a 12 p.m. conference match against Edison Community College.
Match 1: No. 1 Parkland d. No. 9 Owens 25-23, 25-14, 26-24
Owens had a chance to win two of the three sets it lost in today's big matchup against No. 1 Parkland, but a service error ended the first set and a defensive error ended the match in the third set.
Defensively, however, Owens got 10 digs apiece from Brooke Gyori (Clay/Oregon, Ohio), Christine Tylutki (Monroe/Monroe, Mich.) and Ally Mikesell (St. Henry/St. Henry, Ohio).
At the net, Owens made nine blocks with Erika Hartings (Coldwater/Coldwater, Ohio) and Macy Reigelsperger (Coldwater/Coldwater, Ohio) each getting a team-high of three.
Reigelsperger led the team in kills with 12, while Taylor Purcell (Bedford/Temperance, Mich.) had nine and Hartings had eight.
Tylutki (18) and Deanna Smith (Riverview/Riverview, Mich.) with 14 led the team in assists. Mikesell had a high of two aces.
Match 2: No. 9 Owens d. Jackson 25-15, 25-14, 25-17
Owens bounced back in a strong way with a resounding straight set win over Jackson to close out its play in the Owens Invitational.
This time, Hartings and Purcell each had a team-high 10 kills with Reigelsperger adding nine. Tylutki finished three off her season-high with 24 assists, and Smith added 13.
Gyori had all of the team's three aces.
Defensively, Gyori had a team-high 15 digs. Mikesell (11), Reigelsperger (9) and Tylutki (7) also chipped in.
Mikesell led the way in blocks with three, and Annie Lindeman (Ottoville/Ottoville, Ohio) added two. Purcell had the team's lone solo block.
Notes
Reigelsperger's streak of seven straight matches with at least 10 kills ended against Jackson, while her streak of three straight matches with at least five blocks ended against Parkland. She is now just 16 kills away from 600 in her career, and she has 98 this year. She eclipsed 300 career digs today and now has 309. She is also nine blocks away from 200 in her career.
With her 18 kills today, Hartings eclipsed 600 career kills and now has 611.
Tylutki, who led the team in assists over both matches today, had 42 total against Parkland and Jackson. Her 10 digs against Parkland represented a season-high after previously recording nine in a match twice.
Purcell's 10 kill match vs Jackson is her third double digit total of the season. She is hitting .349 this year.
Mikesell continued her solid all-around play with her fourth straight and fifth match over the past six with at least 10 digs. She has 37 kills, 87 digs, 18 blocks and 12 aces this year.
Smith has recorded at least 12 assists in all 10 matches this year. With her 27 today, she now has 931 for her career.