West Plains, Missouri -- The Indian Hills volleyball team swept all four matches in a weekend tournament at the West Plains Civic Center, avenging one of its three losses in the process. After winning 3-0 against Tyler (Tex.), the host Grizzlies, and Hutchinson (Kans.) to begin the tourney, the Warriors were pushed to five sets for only the fourth time all season in their match with Jefferson (Mo.) before taking that one, 3-2. The win against Hutchinson was payback for a 3-2 loss to the Blue Dragons last month.
The Warriors, now 25-3 overall, defeated Tyler, a team that was ranked in the top 10 earlier in the season, 25-15, 26-24, 25-23. Mariana Rodrigues, as she did in all four matches, led IHCC in kills with 13 and hit .321, along with three ace serves and 13 digs. Cassia Lemos had 39 assists and Amanda Toyota 18 digs as Indian Hills won for the second time against Tyler.
The Warriors got their third win against Missouri State-West Plains, winning 25-22, 25-17, 25-18, led by a dozen kills for Rodrigues, nine by Iva Vranic, eight for Gabriela Cavalcante and seven by Nikoleta Kandic, who also had five blocks. Lemos picked up 42 more assists, to go with 11 digs and three service aces. Toyota led the team with her 13 digs.
In rolling over Hutchinson, IHCC won 25-16, 25-15, 25-18. Lemos had 32 assists and a team-best 10 digs; Ana Nunes had six blocks; Rodrigues supplied 10 kills and Cavalcante nine; and there were 10 aces, three each for Lemos and Thayna Birimba.
The only test came against Jefferson, whom the Warriors had already beaten three times. Jefferson won the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-19, before IHCC recovered to win the next three, 25-22, 25-19, 15-9. Rodrigues closed out a tournament in which she had 50 kills with 15, tying Nunes for the team high. Nunes hit .400 and also had two aces and six blocks. Lemos had another 55 assists. The Warriors also posted a season-high 83 digs with five players having at least 10. Toyota set the pace with 25, Rodrigues had 16 and Lemos 14.
Indian Hills will see Missouri State-West Plains again on Wednesday in a home match at the Hellyer Center.