SWCC sweeps Marshalltown after Neosho downs Spartans

In a marathon third set, Jada Perkins sent an attack across the net that ricocheted off two Marshalltown Community College players to give Southwestern a 28-26 victory that capped a home sweep Monday night.

The Spartans took the opening two sets 25-15, 25-23 in earning the victory over Division I Marshalltown, which fell to 18-11 overall. Southwestern, which competes in the ICCAC Division II conference, improved to 15-19 with wins in nine of its last 12 matches.

“That’s a good win for us,” said Spartan coach Aleesha Cleaver. “We needed that confidence boost.”

Sydney Maynes, 6-3 sophomore middle hitter from Corning, was a dominant force all night with nine kills and seven blocks, including three solo blocks. In the third set alone Maynes had six kills and two blocks.

Kelcie Shields, 6-3 freshman from Mount Ayr, returned from a minor lower back injury to contribute eight kills and two blocks in the victory. Perkins had seven kills and Hannah Ryan added four kills.

The win sets up a big home match at 7 p.m. Wednesday against league rival DMACC. Southwestern stands 3-3 in ICCAC play and is seeking a top four seed for the regional tournament and a chance to host a first-round match. DMACC is above the Spartans at 5-1 in the conference, tied with Iowa Central or second behind Kirkwood’s 6-0 mark. Northeast is just above the Spartans at 5-2.

“It’s a huge game for us Wednesday,” Cleaver said. “We’re kind of lingering in the middle of the conference now. We’d like to beat DMACC and Ellsworth and move up in the standings.”

Swept on Saturday

A slow start proved temporary for the SWCC volleyball team, as a competitive night followed despite a three-set loss to NJCAA Division II, 19th-ranked Neosho County Community College of Ottawa, Kansas.

SWCC fell behind 13-1 in the opening set, looking sluggish early.

SWCC coach Aleesha Cleaver noted that she felt as if the match had started with SWCC down 1-0 after that sequence.

“We started off just error after error. You can’t start off like that,” Cleaver said.

The Spartans charged back in the second set, with Jacy Stoaks and Sydney Maynes climbing high repeatedly for tips to slow Neosho’s attack.

Stoaks has found more time on the court in the absence of Kelcie Shields.

“Jacy has stepped up immensely,” Cleaver said about the freshman who notched four kills. “That’s what we need. Anybody to go out any given night and do things well for us.”

A Maynes block and kill had SWCC with three at 24-21, but the Spartans dropped the second set 25-22.

Jada Perkins was strong at the net with nine kills and notched 15 digs.

The Spartans held their own once more in set three when they jumped out to a 12-8 lead with the help of Kailey Miracky’s soft touch on the volleyball over several Neosho defenders, as well as another error from the visitors. Miracky had three kills and two blocks.

Miracky’s supporters from Papillion, Nebraska roared their approval while sporting red “Go Kailey!” shirts with dark blue lettering, matching SWCC’s colors.

“We wanted to get her going,” Cleaver said. “We wanted every single person to be a good option for us. I thought tonight that was kind of important.”

Ashley Porter and Taylor Damewood combined for 27 assists, and Ashley Kopplin utilized lightning-quick reflexes for 25 digs and extended numerous points with her plays near floor level.

However, the blocking prowess of Kalyn Bitner and the confident swinging of Chandler Karr helped Neosho grab the lead back and win once again, 25-22.

Bitler had six blocks, while Karr tallied eight kills for Neosho. Maryssa Recio and Joanna Riggs had nine kills apiece as the Panthers totalled 40 kills in all.

SWCC statistics

Kills — Jada Perkins 9, Sydney Maynes 7, Hannah Ryan 6, Jacy Stoaks 4, Miracky 3.

Digs — Ashley Kopplin 25, Perkins 15, Ryan 12, Ashley Porter 10, Maynes 4.

Assists — Ashley Porter 15, Taylor Damewood 12.

Blocks — Maynes 5, Miracky 2, Stoaks 1, Porter 1.