Oct. 5, 2021, CENTREVILLE, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team grinded out a win at Glen Oaks Community College on Tuesday, to stretch its winning streak to 11 matches.
After dropping the first set 18-25, GRCC battled back to win the final three, 25-13, 25-20, 25-10.
The Raiders, ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, hit .000 with 11 kills - 11 errors in the first set, but finished the match hitting .381 in the final set. The win improved the Raiders to 14-5 and 8-0 in the conference. The Vikings dropped to 14-11 and 6-3.
Redshirt freshman Kara Hecht, of Zeeland, finished with 6 kills, 7 digs and 2 solo blocks, and was especially happy with how the team pushed hard.
"It's something when every team you play wants to beat you," Hecht said. "Tonight, against Glen Oaks, we ran into that. We started off steady, but a few calls and a few imperfect contacts made our job as a team challenging. With all excuses aside, we decided we needed to grind. What was happening on the other side of the net didn't matter, only how we were going to respond. After we put our heads together and played like it was our last game, we got rewarded with the sweet feeling of victory and the ability to maintain our undefeated record."
Freshman outside Audrey Torres, of Caledonia, led the 12 kills and 14 digs. Annie Holesinger added 11 kills and freshman middle Eliza Thelen had a career-high 7 kills. Ola Nowak led the defense with 16 kills.
Statistical Leaders:
- Kills: Torres, 12; Holesinger, 11; Thelen, 7; Hecht, 6.
- Assists: Shannon Russell, 31.
- Digs: Nowak, 16; Torres, 14; Hecht, 7.
- Blocks: Karissa Ferry, 4; Holesinger, 3; Thelen, 3.
- Aces: Nowak, Morgan Fugate and Audrey Gower, 2; Hecht and Holesinger, 1.
The Raiders will look to remain unbeaten in the conference as they host Muskegon Community College on Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m.