By Lindsey Soet
The No. 6 seed Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association championship and faced off against their first opponent, the No. 11 seed Des Moines Area Community College on Nov. 15.
After a tough battle, the Raiders fell to DMACC 2-3 (14-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 11-15).
The first set was filled with long rallies, most of which were lost by GRCC, leaving them to trail DMACC 4-9. Following a kill from sophomore outside hitter Braelyn Berry, the Raiders went on a brief 3-0 scoring run.
However, the situation did not improve for GRCC, as they lost the first set 14-25.
The Raiders were able to gain some momentum in set two, from trailing 5-10 to 12-14. After DMACC called their first timeout of the match, they quickly clapped back on GRCC, pulling ahead 14-20. The Raiders lost the second set 17-25.
GRCC found their groove in set three, achieving their first multi-point lead against DMACC in the match, leading 4-1.
At the start of the next set, the Raiders and DMACC took turns leading before GRCC went on a 9-0 scoring run, giving them a comfortable 18-9 lead. The Raiders were able to hold onto the lead, winning set three 25-20 with freshman right-side hitter Joslynne Bogner delivering the winning kill.
Set four began with a very close, intense battle between GRCC and DMACC, with the Raiders leading 8-6. After making a dive, freshman blocker Lilly Peterson suffered a knee injury, taking her out for the remainder of set four.
Fortunately for the Raiders, Peterson’s absence didn’t stop them from winning set four 25-19, forcing a fifth set against DMACC.
The fifth set started off as yet another close, intense match, with both teams fighting to advance to the NJCAA quarterfinals. After the lead shifted back and forth between GRCC and DMACC, the Bears managed to pull ahead 8-5, forcing the Raiders into a panic to try and catch up. Despite their best efforts, the Raiders failed to pull off a reverse-sweep and lost the fifth set 11-15.
The Raiders are now 26-4 overall and 0-1 in NJCAA national tournament play. Although the Raiders are no longer able to bring home the national title this year, they are still able to rank as high as third in the country through the consolation bracket. GRCC will play in the second round of the consolation tournament on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. EST in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You can stream the match and see live results at NJCAA Network.
