Odessa, TX – Coming off back-to-back road sweeps, the No. 4 ranked Indian Hills Volleyball team is set to take on the Odessa Invitational this weekend. The Warriors will match up with four opponents, including two nationally ranked foes.

DETAILS: Odessa Invitational

August 25-26  |  Odessa, TX  |  Odessa College

STARTING SIX

• Indian Hills enters the weekend with a 4-2 record after picking up two road sweeps in consecutive nights this week – a 3-0 win over DMACC and a 3-0 win over Hawkeye.
• The Warriors will be playing in the Odessa Invitational for the second consecutive year after going 3-1 last year, winning nine of 14 sets. Indian Hills defeated both Odessa and New Mexico Military at last year's event
• Freshman Sara Van Gistern has gotten off to a dominant start for the Warriors and currently ranks first in the nation with 86 kills through the team's first six matches of the year.
• Sophomore Kinga Michalska, the team's top attacker last season, ranks fifth in the nation with 66 kills this season.
• The nation's top blocking team from a year ago, the Warriors currently rank fifth in the nation with 40 total blocks on the year.
• Indian Hills has totaled 55 service aces through six matches this year, the third-best mark in the NJCAA.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Indian Hills will match up with Navarro for the first time since September 21, 2019. The Warriors have currently lost three straight matches to the Bulldogs, ranked No. 20 in the preseason NJCAA rankings.

Navarro is currently 2-0 on the year after defeating North Central Texas 3-0 on August 21 and Vernon 3-1 on August 22. The Bulldogs, who went 27-8 last season, most recently made the NJCAA National Tournament in 2021.

SCOUTING THE WRANGLERS

The host of this weekend's classic, Odessa has gotten off to a strong start after going 4-0 at the NMMI Classic in Roswell, NM. The Wranglers dropped just one set throughout the tournament, sweeping three of its four opponents.

A pair of freshman – Devyn Lewis and Hanna Nemeth have powered the offense with a combined 90 kills throughout the early portion of the season as the Wranglers rank fifth nationally with 14.15 kills/set. Jade Cuya manages the offense from the setter position and has totaled 118 helps thus far in 2023.

SCOUTING THE REBELS

After going 20-16 on the court last year, Hill opened up the 2023 season with a 3-1 loss to Trinity Valley Community College (TX) on August 22. The Rebels were led by Josie Rollins' 12 kills while Daniela Gomez added 11 finishers. Hill totaled 17 total blocks in the loss.

The Warriors last matched up with Hill in 2019 when the two squads squared off the NJCAA DI Volleyball National Tournament where Indian Hills picked up a 3-1 win in Hutchinson, KS. The 2019 meeting is the lone matchup between the two sides dating back to the 2009 season.

SCOUTING THE COLTS

The Warriors wrap up the weekend with a showdown with No. 8 nationally ranked New Mexico Military, the first of two meetings between the teams this year. The two sides have met each of the last two seasons, and three times total since 2018 with New Mexico Military entering each match in the top-10 of the national rankings. The Warriors have taken two of the three meetings, including last year's ranked matchup where New Mexico Military was No. 2 in the polls.

The Colts hosted the NMMI Classic August 17-19 to open the season, going 4-0 with a pair of sweeps. Vitoria Oliveira has powered the team on both sides of the ball, leading New Mexico Military with 28 total blocks while ranking second on the team with 47 kills. Leah Linares' 56 kills leads the team in the early goings of the season.

WHAT'S NEXT

Following the weekend trip to Texas, the Warriors return to Iowa to take on Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, IA on September 5.