Ottumwa, IA – With fans in attendance at an Indian Hills Volleyball match for the first time since 2019, the Warriors used their home court advantage to storm back and defeat DMACC 3-2 on Tuesday night. Indian Hills improves to 4-1 overall on the year with the win.
Trailing 2-1 after its largest loss of the night in set three, the Warriors regrouped in set four behind a momentum-shifting crowd at the Hellyer Center. The Warrior offense, powered by Jenna Vallee (Pornichet, France/Lycee Aristide Briand) and Jarolin de los Santos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Luis Munoz Rivera) in the fourth set, rallied for a convincing 25-17 victory before finishing off the Bears in the fifth set, 15-12.
The win marks the eighth victory over DMACC in the last 11 meetings between the two cross-division opponents. The two teams have split the last two meetings, both going to five sets.
Vallee boasted her best game of the young season, going for 15 kills on 34 attempts for a .382 hitting percentage. de los Santos was equally as dominant on the offensive attack, tallying 13 kills for a team-best .556 hitting percentage. The tandem also contributed a combined 10 blocks at the net for the Warriors.
The Bears took control in the opening set early on. A kill by de los Santos brought the Warriors to within four, 19-15, but DMACC outlasted the Warriors to take the first frame 25-20.
Sophomore Brooke Amann (Woodstock, IL/South Dakota State) was a force in the second set to power the Warrior offense. Amann and Precious Daley (Des Moines, IA/Roosevelt) combined for a series of kills to propel the Warriors to an 18-17 lead. The Warriors held strong down the stretch for a 25-21 victory.
Set three belonged to the Bears from the get-go. A kill by Haleigh Hadley (Gilbert, IA/Iowa State) stopped a DMACC run midway through the frame, but the Bears continued with their pressure to take a commanding 2-1 series lead.
The momentum shifted in set four as the athleticism of Indian Hills was on full display. A barrage of kills coupled with the stellar service of Hennesys Lalane (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio Luis Munox Rivera) catapulted the Warrior offense. An ace from Lalane put the Warriors ahead 14-9 and never looked back on their way to a 25-17 victory.
The final set proved to be the most competitive of the night as each side traded points to reach a 6-6 tie following a powerful kill from de los Santos. Jentry Schafer (Prescott, IA/Southwest Valley) buried a kill late in the set to spark the Warriors on their way to the decisive victory in the final frame.
Lalane finished the night with a career-high five service aces to go along with a season-best 48 assists on the night. Anja Vranic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports Gymnasium) corralled a team-best 19 digs in the victory.
The Warriors waste no time getting back into action with a trip to Yuma, AZ for the Arizona Western Tournament, a five-match set from August 26-28.
FINAL FROM HELLYER! @ihccvolleyball storms back in convincing fashion to top @DMACCVB in five!#WeAreHills #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/G0za0i0CKX
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) August 25, 2021
