Ottumwa -- When Ana Nunes was able to slam home a kill for the final point of the night, Indian Hills outfought visiting Carl Sandburg (Ill.) and established a new record for most wins to begin a season. The Warriors outlasted Carl Sandburg to post their 14th win without a loss, eclipsing the 13-0 start for the 2014 IHCC team.
Indian Hills won in three sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-19.
Nunes had another big winner in the first set when the Warriors saw an 18-11 advantage disappear. Carl Sandburg, which had a lead in all three sets, fought back from that seven-point deficit to even the score at 22-22 and 23-23 before back-to-back kills by Thayna Birimba and Nunes allowed Indian Hills to close out the set.
The Warriors found themselves trailing 10-2 in set two, then rallied to win; they also fell behind in the final set before making it a 3-0 win. Of their 14 match wins so far, 10 have come by a 3-0 score. Only twice has IHCC been pushed to five sets.
Mariana Rodrigues led the attack on Wednesday with 16 kills.
Indian Hills will certainly be tested this weekend as the 10th-ranked Warriors go to Hutchinson, Kans., for a tournament in which they will play No. 2 Navarro and No. 7 Tyler, two Texas schools, along with the host Blue Dragons.