The College of DuPage women's volleyball team continued NJCAA Tournament play on Nov. 14 and 15 at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
On Nov. 14, the Chaps faced the Bears of Dallas College Brookhaven in the tournament semifinal. DuPage battled throughout but ultimately fell 0-3 (20-25, 25-27, 18-25).
Against the Bears,
Claire Rambasek paced the Chaps with 10 kills.
Jaime Volz was once again instrumental in the passing game, recording 14 assists, while
Ava Diaz added 11 assists. Defensively,
Frankie Brandonisio tallied 14 digs, and
Megan Daca registered 3 block assists.
On Nov. 15, DuPage had the opportunity to take on Rochester Community and Technical College for a third-place finish. The Chaps displayed a dominant effort in the second set, winning 25-12, but fell to the Yellowjackets 1-3 (19-25, 25-12, 18-25).
Against Rochester, Rambasek again led the Chaps in kills with eight.
Sami Hornbogen and Daca each added seven kills. Diaz led in assists with 15. Brandonisio paced the defense with 11 digs, while Rambasek and Diaz each recorded 10 digs. Daca was a steady presence at the net with eight block assists.
The fourth-place finish capped off a strong season for the Chaps, who ended the year 27-14 and outperformed their No. 6 seed entering the tournament. The clear highlight of the week was their Nov. 13 upset of previously unbeaten and third-ranked Bulter County in an intense five-set match.
Head coach
Tolis Koskinaris reflected on the team's run in Cedar Rapids, stating, "We had an amazing opening day playing two difficult matches against two quality opponents. In hindsight, the emotional spend to get through those matches might have been too much to regather and make a run on Friday and Saturday. In the end, fourth is a great finish for this team and a nice wrap on an incredible season."