CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – No. 18 Walters State defeated No. 16 Rock Valley on Thursday afternoon 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22) before seeing their season come to an end in a 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20) defeat to No. 10 Heartland.
With the split, Walters State closed the season at 27-9. The Lady Senators were Region VII Champions and won the Southeast B District Championship.
Against No. 16 Rock Valley, Lauren Mims had 14 kills and 15 digs to lead the way. Along with Mims, Maddie Rockrohr had six kills and 14 digs, while Jaci Drinnon had 18 digs and 10 assists. Other contributors included Alyssa Campbell with nine kills, Haylee Richardson with seven kills, Finley Surber and Catherine Sweeney with six kills each and Olivia Brown with 22 assists.
It was a tight match in the first set as the two teams were tied at 10, 11, 12 and 13. The Lady Senators finally got some separation at 15-13 after an ace by Allison Singleton and a kill by Rockrohr. The lead would hover around two from there as a kill by Mattie Davis closed the set out at 25-23.
Following a tough 26-24 loss in the second set, Walters State bounced back in a big way. Tied at eight, the Lady Senators rallied off four straight points to get some breathing room and then kept the foot on the gas as they scored four straight to make 18-10. During the run, Campbell had two kills, while Surber and Sweeney each had kills. Walters State cruised from there and took the set, 25-16.
In the fourth and final set, the two teams once again battled back-and-forth. The two teams tied at 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20 and 21 before a kill by Campbell and an error put the Lady Senators on top by two. Rock Valley would score one final point but an error and Sweeney kill ended the set and match at 25-22.
Against Heartland, Richardson had eight kills while Sweeney had seven. Drinnon led the team with 29 digs, while Maddie Rockrohr had 14. Mims had nine kills, as well and Brown had 20 assists.
It was an impressive opening set for the Lady Senators against Heartland as they battled point-for-point. At 20-20, Walters State went for the kill and scored five of the final six points. A kill by Mims ended it at 25-21.
However, the Lady Senators battled close but could not replicate the opening set as they fell in the final three.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics