SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The second-ranked Parkland volleyball team clinched its 23
rd consecutive Mid-West Athletic Conference Championship with a sweep of No. 16 Lincoln Land, and then added two more sweeps with wins against Lewis & Clark and John Wood. The three wins move the Cobras' overall record to 41-2 on the season.
Having won each M-WAC title since the conference's inception in 1996, the Cobras have won the conference title outright in every year except 2003. In 2003, Parkland shared the crown with John Wood. The 6-0 record against conference foes this season marks the 15
th straight undefeated regular season against M-WAC opponents.
On Wednesday night, the Cobras clinched the top seed for the Region 24 tournament with a win at Illinois Central. The Cobras will host the regional semifinal on Wednesday, October 31.
In the three straight-set victories on Saturday, the Cobras hit an impressive .419 on the afternoon while also posting 33 blocks combined on the three conference rivals. Individually, freshman setter
Rachel Verdun tallied two double-doubles, giving her 14 on the season, outside hitter
Amanda Greening knocked down 28 kills and middle blocker
Dakota Harmon led the team with 13 blocks.
No. 2 Parkland 3, No. 16 Lincoln Land 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-21) -- Box Score
In their conference-title-clinching victory begin the day, the Cobras were dominant in both its attack game (.324 hitting percentage) and defensive efforts (14 blocks). Offensively, the Cobras hit .324 as setter
Rachel Verdun kept the Loggers guessing with five Cobras recording five or more kills. Opposite side hitter
Katelyn Riffle led the team with nine, while middle blockers Shelby Nunamker and
Dakota Harmon added eight and seven, respectively.
In addition to her seven kills, Harmon also led Parkland's block with seven stuffs, while Nunamker and Riffle each added in five more. Freshman libero
Brooke Norder held down the back line with 22 digs, while Maggie Sorensen (12),
Ryleigh Warfel (14), and
Rachel Verdun (10) also reached double figures.
No. 2 Parkland 3, Lewis & Clark 0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-16) -- Box Score
Parkland again over-matched its second opponent of the day, winning by at least nine points in all three sets against Lewis & Clark. After a seven-kill and serve-block performance in the morning victory, Harmon was again featured in the win over the Trailblazers with 10 errorless kills, tied with
Gabby Wessels for the team lead, and six blocks to lead the team. Verdun recorded her second double-double of the day with 40 assists and 11 digs to go along with five kills.
No. 2 Parkland 3, John Wood 0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-8) -- Box Score
The Cobras wasted no time dispatching of the Blazers in their final match of the day, outscoring John Wood by a total of 75-40. Orchestrated by setter
Ashley King's 36 assists, the Cobras hit .515 in the match. Outside hitter
Amanda Greening led the efficient attack with 22 swings, converting 17 of the attempts for a kill on a .727 hitting percentage. The 17 kills sets a new season high for the freshman. On the opposite side, Abby Burnett added in eight kills, while Nunamker and
Sidney Heck each recorded six kills.
Holding its opponent to single digits in two of the three sets, the Cobras defense recorded 11 team blocks, highlighted by middle blocker
Hannah Benson's seven stuffs and 17 digs by
Ellie Stone.
Up next, Parkland volleyball will wrap up the away portion of its regular season schedule next weekend, October 19-20, back in Springfield, Ill., at the Lincoln Land Tournament. The Cobras will face Waubonsee (IL) and Kansas City (KS) on Friday before battling Neosho County (KS) and No. 8 Grand Rapids (MI) on Saturday.