West Plains, MO – The No. 19 nationally ranked Indian Hills Volleyball squad broke a four-match losing streak with a convincing win over No. 14 Missouri State University – West Plains on the road Thursday night. The Warriors move to 12-7 overall on the year.
Competing for the first time in over a week, the Warriors shook off a rocky stretch with a four-set win over the Grizzlies, the program's second consecutive win over its district foe. The Warriors took the opening set 25-19 before dropping set two to the Grizzlies, 25-19. Indian Hills responded with back-to-back set wins, 25-19 and 25-18 to clinch a win on the opening night of the 2024 Grizzly Invitational.
The Warriors saw a dominant effort from sophomore outside hitter Sara Van Gisteren (Leuth, Netherlands/Young Talent Academy ROC Nijmegen) who posted 24 kills on 42 attempts with just four attacking errors for a .476 hitting percentage. The sophomore added 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. Van Gisteren has now posted at least 20 kills in five matches on the year.
As a team, the Warriors controlled the attack over the final two frames to secure the win. Indian Hills produced hitting percentages of .538 and .345 in the third and fourth sets, respectively, to run away from the Grizzlies. The win handed Missouri State – West Plains just its fifth loss of the year while snapping a 12-match win streak for the Grizzlies.
Joanna Pawlik (Lublin, Poland/Nauczycieli Tajnego Nauczania) added 11 kills on 28 attempts as the Warriors produced 52 total kills in the win. Sophomore Ana Carolina Westerich (Blumenau, Brazil/Colégio Energia) was instrumental in offensive approach with 47 assists to go along with a pair of service aces.
Freshman Piper Nelson (Atkins, IA/Benton) posted a team-high three service aces as six different individuals posted an ace on the night. As a team, the Warriors tied a season-low with just four service errors.
Defensively, sophomore Sabrina Nogueira Da Silva (São Paulo, Brazil/Colégio Campos Salles) led the charge with 20 digs while Westerich tied a season-high with 15 digs. Nelson collected her fifth double-digit dig match of the year with 11.
Sophomore Daniela De Los Santos Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio los Clavelines) powered the Warriors at the net with six total blocks, including four solo stops, a career-high for the middle blocker. Castillo now ranks 13th in the nation with 27 solo blocks this year.
The Warriors return to action first thing Friday morning with two more matches at the Grizzly Invitational. Indian Hills takes on No. 12 Trinity Valley Community College (TX) at 8:00 AM before closing out the tournament at 10:00 AM vs. Panola College (TX).
The Warriors return home on Saturday afternoon to take on Hawkeye Community College at 3:00 PM at the Hellyer Center.
To purchase tickets in advance for Saturday's match, visit: INDIAN HILLS VS. HAWKEYE TICKETS
HOW TO WATCH
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