Ottumwa, IA – No. 18 Indian Hills Volleyball earned its second consecutive national tournament berth after rolling through the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Volleyball Midwest A District Tournament at the Hellyer Center. Indian Hills defeated Malcolm X College (IL) 3-0 in the semis before topping Vincennes University (IN) 3-0 in the title match.
The District title advances the Warriors (28-10) to the NJCAA DI Volleyball National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS November 15-18, Indian Hills' fifth all-time appearance at nationals. The Warriors will be making their second consecutive trip to the national tournament for just the second time in school history, joining the 2004 and 2005 squads.
The Warriors made quick work of Malcolm X in the semifinals to open the day, winning in straight sets 25-5, 25-6, and 25-7. After Vincennes dropped Missouri State University – West Plains 3-1 in the second semifinal match, the Warriors and Trailblazers squared off for a trip to the national tournament. Vincennes took a tight opening set, 25-23, before the Warriors battled back for three consecutive set wins – 25-10, 26-24, and 25-12, to hoist the District plaque.
Indian Hills will learn its national tournament seeding and opponent on Thursday, November 9 at 12:00 PM on the NJCAA Network with the official bracket reveal. As of Saturday, the Warriors, ranked No. 18 in the final NJCAA DI Volleyball national rankings, were one of five teams to secure a spot at the upcoming national tournament. A total of 12 District champions and four at-large berths will make up this year's field.
The Warriors are coming off a run to the Final Four at the 2022 NJCAA National Championship, the program's second-best finish in school history.
Indian Hills rolled through Malcolm X in the opener to clinch a spot in the title match. Sophomore Kinga Michalska (Szówsko, Poland/ZSSCHiO) netted 12 kills on 15 attempts with zero errors in the victory. The Warriors tallied 16 service aces to cruise past the Hawks, including five from sophomore Maggie Paiva (Asunción, Paraguay/Trinity School) and three apiece from Sasha Vidal (Asunción, Paraguay/Trinity School) and Ana Carolina Westerich (Blumenau, Brazil/Colégio Energia).
The nightcap proved to be a challenge from the jump for both squads as Vincennes stole the opening set. In a back-and-forth battle, the Warriors erased a late four-point deficit to eventually take a 23-22 lead, but the Trailblazers rallied with the final three points to pick up the win.
Indian Hills regrouped before the second set and jumped out to a sizable 6-1 lead to begin the second frame. Freshman Sara Van Gisteren (Leuth, Netherlands/Young Talent Academy ROC Nijmegen) provided a series of points midway through the set to spark the Warriors. A pair of kills from freshman Jorja Hoffman (Whiterock, British Columbia/Elgin Park), aided by back-to-back aces from Van Gisteren evened the match at one game a side.
The Warriors took an early lead in set three once again, building a 6-2 advantage. Van Gisteren and Westerich slowed a Trailblazer rally with back-to-back kills, and the Warriors cruised through the third frame to take a commanding 2-1 lead.
An electric crowd at the Hellyer Center aided the Warriors' surge through the fourth set as Indian Hills took the early lead and never looked back on its way to the team's second consecutive District title.
Van Gisteren finished with a team-high 13 kills along with four service aces. Michalska tacked on 12 kills for the Warriors while Sabrina Nogeuria Da Silva (São Paulo, Brazil/Colégio Campos Salles) tallied 17 digs. Westerich served up 45 assists in the win for the Warriors. The freshman's 1,193
At the net, freshman Fernanda Izar (Bauru, Brazil/Prevê Objetivo Bauru) proved to be a force on the defensive front, tallying six block assists in the win.
Michalska eclipsed the 500-kill milestone for the season on Saturday, becoming the first Warrior since All-American Mariana Rodrigues in 2019. The sophomore now ranks sixth all-time in school history with 943 career kills at Indian Hills.
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