Aug. 20, 2022, ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team picked up its first two wins of the season on Saturday, bouncing back after dropping the team’s first two matches in the McHenry College Invitational Tournament.
“I think for it being our first real outing we came out pretty strong,” sophomore outside Audrey Torres said. “Obviously it would have been great to defeat Iowa Central in the first game, but I loved that we were able to incorporate every player this weekend. We have lots to improve on, but everyone played a huge role so I’m really proud of everyone’s performance.”
GRCC faced Carl Sandburg College in its first match, scoring the first five points, including three aces by Torres. Carl Sandburg had a six-point run late to get back in the game, but GRCC held on to win 25-22.
GRCC dominated set two by winning 25-17, but the opponent from Galesburg, Ill., took the third set 25-22. The Raiders responded in the fourth, and picked up their first win of 2022 after a 25-18 victory.
Sophomore outside hitter Kara Hecht had a match-high 15 kills and added 11 digs and a block. Torres finished with 13 kills and a match-high 17 digs. Eliza Thelen had a career-best 14 kills and hit .367 while Karissa Ferry hit a match-high .467 with eight kills and just one error.
GRCC concluded the tournament by defeating State College of Florida in straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22.
Torres had a double-double, with 14 kills and 10 digs. Thelen, Hecht, and Ferry all added eight kills.
Alena Visnovsky, GRCC’s leading blocker, led the team with four blocks. The sophomore middle now has 17 blocks.
GRCC on Saturday travels to Perrysburg, Ohio to participate in the Owens Express Invitational Tournament. The Raiders are scheduled to take on three teams, including two matches against top-ten teams.
The matches will be streamed on the team's Facebook site.