Reivers earn 12th straight trip to nationals

Blake Baxter/Daily Nonpareil staff writer

COUNCIL BLUFFS- Indian Hills had plenty of chances to take down No. 2 Iowa Western this season.

But the Reivers wouldn't let it happen.

The second-ranked junior-college team in the nation prevailed over its conference foe for the fourth time on Saturday at Kanesville Arena, sweeping Indian Hills 25-14, 25-21, 25-23 and capturing the District J title.

For the 12th year in a row, Iowa Western (37-1) is headed to the NJCAA national volleyball tournament.

"I just think Indian Hills is such a tough team to beat, and to beat them that many times is very difficult, so I'm proud of our girls and the way that they fought," Iowa Western coach Alicia Williams said after the win. "They were close sets, so it wasn't a breeze for us to get our ticket punched, but we found a way."

After getting on a hot streak and cruising to the finish in the first set, the Reivers had to dig their way out of a hole in the second. They started off slow and trailed by five points at 10-5.

The comeback didn't happen all at once. Cailtyn Cooper's block made it 11-10, but the Warriors scored three of the next four. Ali Verzani came up with a pair of big kills, but a hitting error and a Warriors block kept the Reivers from closing in.

Finally, a 3-0 Reiver run tied it at 18-all. Cooper and Irina Alekseeva recorded back-to-back kills, then Alekseeva delivered an ace. A Warriors hitting error gave the Reivers their first lead in the set since 4-3, and they never trailed the rest of the set.

"We found the rhythm and somehow got back," Williams said. "I don't remember what the turning point was, but all of a sudden I looked up and it was 18-all.

"That was a good win because I think if it was 1-1, we could have seen a different Indian Hills team in that third set."

The Warriors hung with the Reivers in the third set and came within two points of forcing a fourth after a kill by Camila Nicoletti made it 23-all.

Iowa Western, for its part, stayed calm. A kill by Cooper made it match point, and a block by Makayla Doyle clinched the title.

Cooper, a sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, hit .414, posted 14 kills and 12 digs. Morgan Bossler, a freshman from Van Horne, Iowa, and Verzani, a redshirt freshman from Lawton, Iowa, added nine and eight kills, respectively.

Freshman setter Hina Pua'a from Honolulu distributed 33 assists and had three of the team's six aces.

"I think we really needed a good clean sweep because we needed that confidence booster going into the next week," Verzani said. "I think we're really ready to make a statement at nationals. We got a taste of it last year, getting second, so we really want to come out on top."

Williams said she was particularly impressed by the play of sophomore libero Emi Pua'a, who led the team with 16 digs while battling back pain. Emi Pua'a said "my adrenaline just me going."

"Me and my sister (Hina), we love playing in these kinds of matches," she added.

The Reivers, who came up one win short of a national championship last year, have next week off before heading to Hutchinson, Kan. for the NJCAA Division I volleyball tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The match schedule has yet to be determined.

"This week in practice," Verzani said, "is what is going to set us apart from everybody else."

Indian Hills (27-15) 14 21 23

Iowa Western (37-1) 25 25 25

IW (kills-aces-blocks): Savannah Downing 0-0-0, Irina Alekseeva 4-2-2, Ali Verzani 8-0-0, Cailtyn Cooper 14-0-2, Kaci Hohenthaner 0-0-0, Ariana Macies 0-0-0, Makayla Doyle 5-0-4, Morgan Bossler 9-1-2, Emi Pua'a 0-0-0, Hina Pua'a 1-3-3.

IH: Yelyzaveta Sharkova 0-0-0, Raegan Moeller 4-0-1, Jessica Da Silva 4-0-1, Camila Nicoletti 11-1-1, Mackenzie Lauer 4-0-1, Laisa Telles Maeda 1-0-0, Brooke Johnson Watkins 6-0-2, Thayna Birimba 1-0-0, Shenglan Chen 0-1-0.