Hawks fall in five-set thriller to end season at the national tournament

CHARLESTON, W.V. – The Northeast Community College volleyball team had its season come to an end on Friday at the NJCAA DII Volleyball National Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W.V.

The Hawks (22-18) opened the day with a straight-set victory over Montgomery College (Md.). Set scores were: 25-22, 25-23 and 25-19.

Brianna Bauer (O'Neill, Neb.) led Northeast with 16 kills, 12 digs and a .400 hitting percentage. Hannah Heppner (Stanton, Neb.) and Carly Hirsch (Norfolk, Neb.) both had eight kills. MaKayla Davidson (Alliance, Neb.) tallied 35 assists, while Josie Sanger (Crofton, Neb.) had 19 digs. Elizabeth Christensen (Stanton, Neb.) pitched in 17 digs.

With the win, the Hawks had a meeting with Gulf Coast State College later in the day for a chance to play on Saturday for ninth-place.

It didn't end the way Northeast had wanted, falling in five sets. Set scores were: 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 20-25 and 12-15.

The Hawks battled from the beginning, taking a 2-1 set lead after mounting a large lead in the third set. In the final set of the match, the Hawks rallied to tie the game at 12-12, but couldn't find any answers to top the Commodores.

Bauer added 17 kills and 13 digs, while Caitlin Orton (Mills, Neb.) added 13 kills and Heppner had 11. Davidson notched 44 assists and 13 digs. Sanger recorded 17 digs, while Caitlin Kumm (Osmond, Neb.) tallied 13 digs.

The Hawks end their season as four-time defending Region XI-B champions.

For all news related to Northeast Community College athletics, visit northeasthawks.com for complete coverage. Fans can also follow the Hawks on Twitter @NortheastHawks for game-day coverage.