No. 7 Tritons celebrate home debut | News, Sports, Jobs

— Photo courtesy of Iowa Central Iowa Central players celebrate a point against William Penn JV on Wednesday night at Hodges Fieldhouse.

A slow start quickly turned into a red-hot finish for the seventh-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team here Wednesday night.

In their debut at Hodges Fieldhouse, the Tritons stormed past the William Penn JV in three sets.

The results were 25–17, 25–10 and 25–20.

“We have played 5:1 in recent years, but are now switching to 6:2 with two setters,” ICCC head coach Sara Horn said, “It takes some time to get used to. We also used a different rotation to see what we got from some of the girls.”

“I think it was a little nervous because it was the first home game and school was starting again, but I was happy with how we finished the sets.”

After falling behind 3-1 and 11-8 early in the first set, the Tritons (3-2 overall) battled back, scoring 17 of the last 23 points to win the set. They didn’t trail in the second set, scoring 15 of the first 19 points.

Former Manson Northwest Webster player Olivia Sturgis, one of a handful of returning players, had 10 kills, the most of the match. Natalie Hagadon added nine, fellow former Cougar Emily Goodner added eight and Araya Garrison scored four of Iowa Central’s nine service aces.

In the third period, William Penn JV applied some pressure, taking an 8-3 lead and holding a 17-15 lead as the Tritons scored five straight points, highlighted by Garrison’s two aces. They finished the night by scoring five of the final seven points.

Anabel Seaman had 14 assists and Dani Anela Kapu 12, Hagadon and Olivia Benson each had 11 digs. Garrison blocked four times and Tionn Wise added two.

Last weekend, Iowa Central went 2-2 at a tournament in Illinois, picking up wins over Muskegon and No. 4 Pensacola State but losing to 23rd-ranked Sauk Valley and Gulf Coast State.

“We have a very demanding schedule,” said Horn. “As soon as the season starts, it will be really exciting in terms of the games and the quality of the opponents.”

The Tritons travel to Sioux City on Friday to face Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Lake Region State starting at 10 a.m.