Council Bluffs, IA – For the second consecutive day, the 19th ranked Indian Hills Volleyball team left Reiver Arena with a pair of wins, this time over two nationally ranked foes. The two wins Saturday capped a perfect 4-0 weekend for the Warriors.
After battling through a pair of five-set victories on Friday, the Warriors were tasked with matchups against preseason No. 5 Butler Community College (KS) and preseason No. 12 Jefferson College (MO). The Warriors toppled both opponents in four sets to open up the season with an undefeated record. In a tournament that featured six of the eight teams inside the top-20 in the preseason national rankings, the Warriors were one of just two teams to go undefeated.
Indian Hills defeated Butler, coming off its best season in program history with a national tournament appearance to its name, in four sets – 25-16, 18-25, 28-26, and 25-20. The Warriors followed up against Jefferson, also a national tournament team a year ago with set scores of 21-25, 26-24, 25-22, and 25-18.
"Complete team involvement on and off the court today," stated head coach Lyndsey Michel. "We are very lucky to have three incredible middles who can split time to keep each other fresh and all play at a high level."
A day after defeating Hutchinson Community College (KS) and Casper College (WY) in five sets each, the Warriors opened up the final day at the Reiver Classic against Butler. After the Grizzles evened the match at one set apiece, the Warriors upped its attack and finished strong over the final two frames, an ending that featured a .577 hitting percentage in the fourth and final set.
Larissa Barreiros Scatamburlo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colégio Liceu Franco-Brasileiro) continued her torrid start to her freshman campaign with a team-high 18 kills in the win to go along with 17 digs. Scatamburlo averaged 3.44 kills/set over the weekend and finished with a total of 62 finishers. Sasha Vidal's (Asunscion, Paraguay/Trinity School) stellar play at the libero spot paced the Warriors defensively as the freshman tallied 23 digs in the win over Butler.
"Sasha' serve receive was on point all day," Michel noted. "She is going to continue to grow and take the lead defensively in the back row for us."
The Warriors closed out the weekend with another strong finish with two straight set wins to upend Jefferson in the finale. Freshman Kinga Michalska (Szówsko, Poland/ZSSCHiO) put together her fourth consecutive double-digit kill match to open her inaugural season at Indian Hills, finishing the victory with 12 kills on 30 attempts.
For the second consecutive day, Michel alluded to the standout play of sophomore setter Hennesys Lalane (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Luis Munox Rivera). Lalane totaled 88 assists between the two matches on Saturday and also added six service aces, including four against Jefferson.
"Hennesys made incredible hitter selections and scored herself in big ways at the right time today," Michel added.
Erica Calderon Rosario (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Salome Urena de Henriquez) totaled 15 blocks on the day, including five solo stops. Sophomore Jenna Vallée (Pornichet, France/Lycee Aristide Briand) added 15 kills in an all-around impressive showing.
"Jenna continues to be solid in all six rotations," Michel added. "She's serving well and keeps it hot in the front row for us."
Next up for the Warriors is the team's home opener Tuesday night at the Hellyer Center. Indian Hills welcomes Southeastern Community College for a 6:00 PM matchup. Fans can purchase tickets online for each of the team's seven home matches this season, or buy season tickets here: INDIAN HILLS VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER
PERFECT WEEKEND – No. 19-ranked @ihccvolleyball made it an unblemished 4-0 weekend with a 4-set win over No. 12-rated @JeffcoVB tonight in Council Bluffs. The Warriors capped the Reiver Classic by topping their 2nd-straight rated foe, this time 25-21, 24-26, 25-22 and 25-18. pic.twitter.com/T2fJdWSKqT
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) August 20, 2022