Ottumwa, IA – Four members of the No. 15 nationally ranked Indian Hills Volleyball squad have been recognized for their efforts on the year with a spot on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Volleyball All-Region 11 squad, announced Thursday morning.
Four sophomores – Ana Carolina Westerich (Blumenau, Brazil/Colégio Energia), Daniela De Los Santos Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Colegio los Clavelines), Sabrina Nogueira Da Silva (São Paulo, Brazil/Colégio Campos Salles), and Sara Van Gisteren (Leuth, Netherlands/Young Talent Academy ROC Nijmegen) helped lead the Warriors to the NJCAA National Tournament for the second time in their careers and third such appearance in as many seasons. The quarter of sophomores claimed their second-career NJCAA DI Volleyball Midwest District Championship while powering the Warriors to 25 wins on the year.
Van Gisteren's record-breaking season saw one of the most dominant campaigns in program history for the Warriors. Along with her selection to the All-Region squad, Van Gisteren was named the 2024 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) DI Volleyball Player of the Year.
Read More: Van Gisteren Named ICCAC Player of the Year
The sophomore re-wrote the Indian Hills record books in 2024 with a chance to climb even higher heading into the postseason. Van Gisteren currently ranks second all-time in single season kills with her 609 this year while her two-year mark of 1,062 also ranks second at Indian Hills. Van Gisteren is just 29 kills away from breaking the career record and only nine away from shattering the single season record. With 136 service aces throughout her career, including a team-high 62 this year, Van Gisteren ranks fifth in school history.
Van Gisteren has put together a remarkable sophomore season where her total of 609 kills this year ranks second most in the nation. Van Gisteren also ranks second nationally with 4.54 kills/set while her 705.5 points on the year are most in the NJCAA. The sophomore is a seven-time ICCAC Athlete of the Week recipient in 2024.
Westerich paced the Warrior offense for the second consecutive season from the setter position. The sophomore has produced a career-high 1,333 assists on the year which currently ranks first in the nation. Westerich has recorded 18 matches with at least 40 assists on the year, including eight matches with at least 50 assists. Westerich tallied a career-high 61 assists in a 3-2 win over DMACC on August 27. For her efforts, Westerich was tapped as the ICCAC Athlete of the Week for the week of September 9-15. Westerich has also tallied a career-high 53 service aces, second-most on the team, to surpass 100-career aces at Indian Hills.
Through two seasons, Westerich ranks fifth all-time in school history with 2,665 career assists.
Da Silva lands her second consecutive NJCAA All-Region 11 selection after being named to the team as a freshman. Da Silva has been a mainstay as the program's primary libero over the past two seasons, ranking near the top of the nation in total digs. On the year, Da Silva has tallied 618 digs which ranks seventh nationally. Da Silva has posted at least 20 digs in 14 matches on the year.
Da Silva has continued to climb the Indian Hills record books with 1,261 career digs, fourth-most in school history.
Castillo emerged as a primary force on both ends of the net for the Warriors in 2024. The sophomore middle blocker led the squad with 138 total assists on the year, eighth-most in the NJCAA. Castillo has tallied 56 solo stops while adding 82 block assists. Offensively, Castillo recorded 134 kills while posting a .333 hitting percentage. The sophomore also added 30 aces.
Along with the Warriors' All-Region honors, head coach Lyndsey Michel was named the 2024 ICCAC Coach of the Year for the third consceutive season.
Read More: Michel Lands Third Consecutive ICCAC Coach of the Year Honor
Indian Hills is set to take on No. 3 seed New Mexico Military Institute Wednesday, November 20 at 10:00 AM in the opening round of the national tournament.
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