No. 17 Hawks hammer Iowa Lakes in first match of 2021

NORFOLK, Neb. – Coming off their fourth-straight appearance at the NJCAA DII Volleyball National Tournament, the No. 17 Northeast Community College volleyball team did not miss a beat on Tuesday night, toppling Iowa Lakes Community College in three sets at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

No. 17 Hawks hammer Iowa Lakes in first match of 2021

Team Stats

January 26, 2021

NORFOLK, Neb. – Coming off their fourth-straight appearance at the NJCAA DII Volleyball National Tournament, the No. 17 Northeast Community College volleyball team did not miss a beat on Tuesday night, toppling Iowa Lakes Community College in three sets at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

Set scores were: 25-19, 25-18 and 25-21.

The Hawks (1-0, 1-0 ICCAC) managed to take a demanding lead into the first set, thanks to a few miscues from the Lakers. Carly Hirsch (Norfolk, Neb.) and Jamie Bonifas (Blue Hill, Neb.) went right to work in the second set, helping the Hawks set up critical blocks at the net. The Hawks used timely hitting and a stout defensive effort in the third set to grab their first victory of the season.

Hirsch led the Hawks with 13 kills on 13 attempts and two blocks. Payton Weber (Alliance, Neb.) added 10 kills in her freshman debut. Bonifas tallied 29 assists, while newcomer Alexis Kapales (Jonesboro, Ark.) had 16 digs.

"Overall, the first night on the court went well," head coach Amanda Schultze said. "We saw some really good things with our blocking and team effort. We also saw some things we need to work on, such as defense and being more dynamic at the net."

The Hawks hit the road to battle No. 15 North Iowa Area Community College at 7 p.m. Thursday in Mason City, Iowa.

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