College volleyball: Warriors split at Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Ridgewater volleyball team split four matches at the Kishwaukee College Volleyball Invitational over the weekend and got the kind of competition that head coach Joe Sussenguth said will prepare NJCAA Division III's top-ranked team for the postseason.
The Warriors defeated Highland and lost to Rock Valley on Friday, and they defeated Harper and fell to Owens on Saturday.
"This weekend provided the challenges we were looking for as we prepare to enter the regional tournament (Nov. 2-3 at Ridgewater)," Sussenguth said. "The level of competition was outstanding and we can only get better from that."
The Warriors were balanced at the net, with Kelci Viesselman leading the team with 40 kills in the four matches, followed by Kelsey Stommes with 38, Brittany Nissen with 31 and Cassie Ziemer with 25. Stommes also had 18 solo blocks.
Tiffani Karbo handled almost all the setting duties and finished with 144 set assists. She also had 6 kills and 6 solo blocks.
The matches against strong competition allowed the Warriors to identify areas that need work as they head into their final regular-season match against Fergus Falls on Wednesday, and then the regional tournament.
"There are some aspects of our game that still need a little work," Sussenguth said, "and as a team we need to build a stronger camaraderie yet to succeed. Fortunately, this tournament provided insight into this. Playoffs are an exciting part of the season and we are looking forward to hosting the regional tournament."
Kishwaukee Invite
Ridgewater scores
Saturday: Ridgewater def. Highland 20-25, 25-9, 25-23, 25-20;.Rock Valley def Ridgewater 23-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 12-15
Friday: Ridgewater def. Harper 25-20, 25-23, 25-23; Owens def. Ridgewater 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-12
How Ridgewater Fared
(Key: good-attempts-aces)
Serving: Taylor Sharpe 49-53-3, Emma Sharpe 43-44-4, Morgan Meyer 59-65-8, Tiffani Karbo 51-55-5, Kelsey Stommes 0-1-0, Cassie Ziemer 50-57-3, Alicia Koenen 13-15-1, Alex Horton 2-7-0, Kelci Viesselman 43-53-3 ... Setting: Karbo 144, Meyer 1, E.Sharpe 1, Viesselman 1, Brittany Nissen 1 ... Hitting: Kandace Taylor 3-4-2, E.Sharpe 6-6-0, T.Sharpe 5-6-2, Meyer 6-7-3, Karbo 24-25-6, Stommes 80-96-38, Ziemer 58-64-25, Katie Knisley 21-23-8, Nissen 56-68-31, Koenen 28-33-9, Alex Horton 30-39-14, Viesselman 104-129-40 ... Blocking (aces): Taylor 1, Karbo 6, Stommes 18, Ziemer 10, Knisley 2, Nissen 2, Koenen 2, Horton 2, Viesselman 1 ... Digs: E.Sharpe 66, T.Sharpe 28, Meyer 32, Karbo 19, Stommes 7, Ziemer 11, Knisley 3, Nissen 6, Koenen 20, Horton 6, Viesselman 17
