SCOTTSBLUFF, NE- Iowa Western finishes their regular season with a record of 34-1 and ranked No.2 in the nation. This past weekend, the Reivers visited Western Nebraska Community College to play their last tournament before heading into regional play.
The first match of the tournament was against No. 12 San Jacinto College on Friday. The Reivers swept the Ravens in straight sets (25-22, 28-26 and 25-17). Freshman Irina Alekseeva paced the offense with 16 kills and only 4 errors. Sophomore Caitlyn Cooper followed with 10 kills while Morgan Bossler added 9. Setter, Hina Pua'a, dished out 41 assists and 8 digs. Defensively, Emi Pua'a led the team with 18 digs, while Savannah Downing added 14 of her own. The Reivers were a force at the net, notching 8 total blocks with Cooper, Alekseeva and Bossler contributing to 2 a piece.
Later that night, the Reivers faced the No. 4Western Nebraska Cougars for the second time this season. The Reivers downed the Cougars in a four -set match (27-25, 25-18, 21-25 and 25-21). Iowa Western's offense was once again led by Alekseeva who hammered down 20 out of 37 attempts, followed by Cooper with 13 kills. Emi Pua'a controlled the defense with 22 digs, while Ariana Macies picked up 12 of her own. Iowa Western had a block party against the Cougars, recording 19 blocks as a team; Bossler and Doyle led the way with 5 blocks each. With the win against WNCC, Alicia Williams recorded her 200th career win with the Reivers!
Williams played for IWCC during the 2006 and 2007 campaigns, winning a National Championship in 2006, before finishing her education and playing career at Creighton University across the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska. She was named the Head Coach before the 2013 season, after serving as an assistant under Darrin McBroom, and has led the Reivers to the NJCAA National Tournament every season including last year's championship game appearance.
The Reivers will host the District J Tournament on Friday and Saturday, November 3rd and 4th, for a chance at their 12th straight Nationals appearance.
