OTTUMWA, IA – After two sets it looked highly likely that a short and sweet sweep was in order.
The DMACC Bears had other ideas.
Three sets later, Indian Hills was sent home with a stunning 3-2 loss on Valentine's Day as DMACC denied the Warriors their first home win of the season taking the ICCAC battle, 25-9, 25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 11-15.
The No. 14-rated Warriors dominated the first set as IHCC used a kill from Jenna Vallee to when the score was 9-6 in favor of the hosts to spark them to a 16-3 run to rout the Bears in the first stanza, 25-9.
Set two was more of the same as a 7-0 spurt early on put the Warriors up 11-4. DMACC clawed back to within three points two more times, but even a pair of timeouts by the Bears couldn't stem the tide and Indian Hills took the second set, 25-21.
"The first two sets we hardly erred, we were hitting through the seam, and our defense looked great," said IHCC Head Coach Lyndsey Michel. "I don't think we blocked great in the first couple of sets, but our defense worked around that in the back row.
Whatever momentum the Warriors had gained in the opening two games evaporated in set three. IHCC led 10-9 after a kill from Jentry Schafer, but suddenly the Bears light switch was turned on and after a 12-3 DMACC run, the Warriors founds themselves in a 21-13 hole that they could not climb out of, handing the visitors the set, 25-17.
"When we got down, we kept going back to one-having a sense of urgency, and two-keeping our composure," Michel added. "When we lacked composure, it was because of a lack of trust."
The newfound Bear momentum, the lack of trust for the home team, and a 15-20 officials' delay to start the fourth set seemed to compound what was ailing the Warriors as DMACC raced out to an 8-2 lead, and suddenly the potential of a comeback was real. IHCC would battle back to within one at 9-8 but a service error sparked the Bears again, and suddenly the Warriors were trailing by five again at 14-9. DMACC held a lead of at least three until Indian Hills was on the brink of dropping the set at 24-20. The Warriors got within two at 24-22, but the Bears would not be denied, taking game four, 25-22.
"Obviously we've had a lot of time in the gym to get to know each other at practice and stuff, but it is a different level when you see someone coming at you," Michel said.
Despite being wobbled by being forced to a fifth set, the Warriors looked poised to snatch the victory anyway as IHCC led 10-6 in the final stanza. A 6-0 burst by DMACC turned the tables and the Warriors were forced to scramble to avoid the defeat. The Warriors would produce one more point following a timeout, but the Bears would not be denied as they stormed the court after polishing off the comeback, 15-11.
"We've got some learning to do when we're competing for the real deal," Michel said following the loss. "Those are things we've already talked about in the locker room as far as what we need to do to trust each other and figure things out."
"We caught a glimpse early on of how special we can be," Michel noted. "We will continue to work to make that our more consistent normal because we will continue to face adversity. I'm positive we will continue to work to overcome our setbacks."
Sophomore Gabriela Cavalcante Oliveira continued to lead the Warrior attack with 22 kills and 18 digs on the afternoon.
"She's our go-to," Michel said. "She continues to go to battle for us."
Freshman Hennesys Lalane contributed 44 assists and 9 digs, while Anja Vranic added 16 digs and 3 assists from the libero position. Vallee tallied 9 kills and 13 digs, while Schafer was 11-for-11 from the service line.
DMACC, who was ranked No. 20 in the NJCAA Division II ranked moved to 7-2 with the win while the Warriors fell to 1-3 on the season. IHCC will now be idle until Friday when they travel to Hutchinson, Kansas to take part in the annual Blue Dragon Classic. IHCC will face Missouri State-West Plains at 2 p.m., and Hutchinson at 8 p.m. on Friday before taking on Pratt at 9:30 a.m., and Mineral Area at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.