Poplarville, Miss. – For the second straight year, the Itawamba Community College volleyball program is heading to the NJCAA Gulf District Tournament after the 3-0 upset of No. 18 Pearl River Saturday.
The Indians (19-10) fell behind 5-1 early in the first set, but a service run by Lydia Hitchcock (Boaz, Ala.) along with a big block by Sarah Allyn Thornell (Atoka, Tenn.) and LaMaya Newsome (Southaven) put the Tribe on top 8-5.
Late in the first set, the Indians trailed by one, 21-20, but called a timeout and came out with a rally to take a 1-0 lead with a 25-22 set victory.
The second set was a lot like the first with the teams exchanged points, but the Indians were able to pull away late and pick up the 25-21 win and put themselves one win away from the sweep.
In the third set, the Indians and Wildcats (27-4) stayed tied for most of the set, but once again a late push gave the Indians a chance to close out the match. On match point, a block by Newsome and Thornell gave the Indians the 25-18 set win and the sweep.
The Indians kept the strong Pearl River offensive attack at bay with three players recording double digit digs. Angie Gonzalez (Walls) led the Indians with 17 digs, followed by Thornel with 14 and Londyn Bakeris (Olive Branch) with 11.
Thornell and Newsome led the Indians with 5 block assists each and Thornell had a team-high 17 assists, while Newsome led the team with seven kills.
The Indians will represent Region 23 in the NJCAA Gulf District Tournament starting Nov. 4 at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Fla. In their first match, the Indians will face Pensacola State at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern). More information about the tournament will be released once it becomes available.
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