Hutchinson, KS – A dominant run to conclude its season led Indian Hills Volleyball to a ninth-place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Volleyball National Tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena on Saturday. The Warriors capped the week with a 3-0 sweep of Casper College (WY) to place in the top-10.
The Warriors closed out the four-day tournament winning nine consecutive sets for the program's fourth all-time top-10 finish at the national tournament. Competing in the team's second consecutive national tournament, the Warriors dropped Casper in the ninth-place matchup in straight sets – 25-22, 25-22, and 25-17. The Warriors are one of just five teams to claim a victory on the final day of the 2023 NJCAA DI Volleyball season.
Indian Hills relied on its go-to sophomore Kinga Michalska (Szówsko, Poland/ZSSCHiO) as they have throughout the duration of the season to win its final contest of the year. Michalska tallied a match-high 17 kills to surpass the 1,000-career kill milestone. The outside hitter's 1,010 career kills rank fifth all-time in school history while her 581 kills this season ranks third-most all-time for a single season at Indian Hills. Michalska is one of just four players in school history to lead the Warriors in kills in back-to-back seasons, joining former All-Americans Mariana Rodrigues (2018-19), Tamara Merseli (2014-15), and Philister Sang (2003-04). Michalska's 581 kills on the year finished at the top of the national leaderboard among all NJCAA DI Volleyball players this year.
The Warriors claimed three victories at this year's national tournament, the third time in school history the program posted a 3-1 record. Despite dropping its opening round matchup to No. 4 Salt Lake Community College (UT), the Warriors rolled through the consolation bracket, picking up a 3-1 win over Daytona State College (FL) and a 3-0 win over Colby Community College (KS) before finishing off Casper in the finale. The Warriors improve to 12-7 all-time at the national tournament.
Along with Michalska's offensive efforts on Saturday, the Warriors saw key performances from freshman Ana Carolina Westerich (Blumenau, Brazil/Colégio Energia) who tallied a team-high 37 assists while Fernanda Izar (Bauru, Brazil/Prevê Objetivo Bauru) produced eight total blocks for the Warriors.
As a team, Indian Hills produced six service aces on its way to setting a new school record for aces in a season with 383, eclipsing the previous mark of 372 set last season.
The Warriors' 1,836 assists on the season also led the nation as a team while Westerich's 1,332 assists rank fourth most for an individual in the nation. In total, the Warriors ranked in the top-10 in then nation in 15 statistical categories this year.
Sophomore Sasha Vidal (Asunción, Paraguay/Trinity School) capped her two-year Indian Hills career with the third-most digs in school history, finishing with 1,279 during her tenure with the Warriors.
With the back-to-back national tournament trips, the Warriors have posted 73 wins over the last two seasons, the most wins in consecutive seasons during Lyndsey Michel's 12 seasons at the helm of the program.
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— NJCAA Volleyball (@NJCAAVolleyball) November 18, 2023
Indian Hills goes 3-1 in the 2023 #NJCAAVB DI Championship tournament, finishing in the ninth-place spot! ��https://t.co/P84K2HCXG3 pic.twitter.com/FDr80wswTH