Ottumwa, IA – Following a 4-0 record on the court last week, No. 15 nationally ranked Indian Hills Volleyball swept the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) DI Volleyball Athlete of the Week honors.
Sophomore Sara Van Gisteren (Leuth, Netherlands/Young Talent Academy ROC Nijmegen) was tapped as this week's ICCAC DI Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, the outside hitter's fourth weekly accolade of the year while fellow sophomore Daniela De Los Santos Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio los Clavelines) was recognized as the conference's Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this year.
The Warriors secured three wins, including two over nationally ranked opponents at the Grizzly Invitational in West Plains, MO before closing out the week with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Hawkeye Community College at the Hellyer Center on Saturday. With the unblemished week, Indian Hills moved to 15-7 overall on the year and jumped to No. 15 in the national rankings.
Van Gisteren starred at the Grizzly Invite with a combined 72 kills in three matches, including a weekend-best 25 in the tournament finale, a 3-2 win over Panola College (TX). The sophomore tallied two double-doubles over the week as Van Gisteren added 31 digs on the defensive front. Van Gisteren added three service aces in the win over Hawkeye.
Van Gisteren currently ranks third in the nation with 379 kills while averaging 4.21 kills/set on the year. With her performance last week, Van Gisteren surpassed 800 kills throughout her Indian Hills career.
Castillo was once again impressive at the net for the Warrior defense as the sophomore tallied 18 total blocks on the week, including 11 solo stops. In wins over No. 14 Missouri State University – West Plains and No. 12 Trinity Valley Community College (TX), Castillo totaled 11 blocks, including four solo blocks in each matchup. The middle blocker tied a career-high with six blocks in the win over Panola.
Castillo's big week propelled the sophomore up the national leaderboards. Castillo ranks 15th nationally with 85 total blocks on the year while her 34 solo blocks are currently 10th most in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
The Warriors are back in action October 11-12 at the Cardinal Classic in Park Hills, MO with a four-match win streak in tow.
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