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#4 Century begins season 5-1

#4 Century begins season 5-1
August 22, 2023

The #4 ranked Century volleyball team headed to Rockford, IL, August 18-20 to particpate in a weekend tournament where 70 NJCAA DI, DII, and DIII volleyball teams participated in the largest college volleyball tournament in the country. The Wood Ducks started the season off well going 5-1 in the three days. There were contributions from all the players on the team.

In the first match of the season, Century defeated Harper College (IL) in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18, 25, 14. In the first set, they started slow but eventually found their groove and picked up their hitting in sets 2 and 3. The Wood Ducks were led by sophomore Gabi Schwirtz who finished the match with 25 assists. Fellow sophomore Kiyomi Callahan had 10 kills and 2 service aces. Freshman Alexis Helmin also contributed with 7 kills. 

The second match on day one was against NJCAA DII opponent, College of Lake County (IL). Century won in 4 sets, 27-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20.  Middle hitters Kalley Vugteveen Alexis Helmin each had 10 kills apiece. Century also collect 7 blocks for the match. 

On day two, the Wood Ducks defeated NJCAA DII North Central Michigan (MI) 25-15, 25-14, 25-21 and Joliet Junior College (IL) 26-24, 23-25, 25-11, 25-18. Sophomore Kylie Naylor joined in on the action and finished the day with 13 kills. Kiyomi Callahan contributed with 14 kills of her own and Alexis Helmin had 19 kills. Gabi Schwirtz distributed the ball with 37 assists and freshman setter Jalyn Wolle had 18 assists. 

The final day was against nationally ranked teams. Century would lose its first match of the season against NJCAA #2 Owens CC (OH) (25-22, 23-25, 25-27, 23-25). It was a well contested match, but the Wood Ducks would come up short. During the match, Gabi Schwirtz and Jalyn Wolle each distributed the ball well ending with 22 and 20 assists respectively. The offense was led by Alexis Helmin (16 kills), Kiyomi Callahan (10 kills), and Kylie Naylor (11 kills). While the team had more hitting attempts than their opponent, the ball just didn't find the floor enough to put them up on top.

The last match of the tournament was against NJCAA #1 College of DuPage (IL) with Century coming away with the impressive victory 13-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20. Fatigue from the three days of volleyball was notable on both sides of the court. Neither team could put the ball away. Both teams played good defense and had 60+ digs each as a team. Kiyomi Callahan led the Wood Ducks with 10 kills and 15 digs while Gabi Schwirtz finished with 17 assists and Jalyn Wolle had 15 assists.

Overall, it was a very successful weekend and Head Coach Jay Kam was content with the way the team showed up. "We learned a lot this weekend about our team and ourselves. The team showed me that they possess grit when they get down. They also play in the moment and enjoy the game and each other which is a big part of our team culture. It's going to be a fun season and I'm excited to keep improving and enjoying the process."

Next up is the Crossover Tournament at Anoka Ramsey Community College August 25-26. On the schedule for Friday, August 25, is Mesabi Range and NIACC (NJCAA DII). Saturday, August 26, will be against Alexandria Tech and Iowa Lakes (NJCAA DII).  You can follow the team on GameChanger. Details to come.