BOONE, Iowa – No. 2 Parkland volleyball split a pair of matches on Saturday, October 6, at the Des Moines Area Community College Tournament, dropping its first match to No. 3 Coffeyville (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 20-25) before rebounding with a sweep of MCC-Longview (25-11, 25-13, 25-12). The Cobras finish 3-1 on the weekend, and 37-2 overall.
 
Winning two of its three matches against ranked opponents, the Cobras were led offensively this weekend by 139 assists from freshman setter, and Parkland's September Female Athlete of Month, Rachel Verdun and 33 kills from freshman outside hitter Ryleigh Warfel. Defensively, sophomore middle blocker led the Cobras block with 19 stuffs while libero Brooke Norder added in 55 digs.
 
A match that pitted two teams who have combined to win the last three Division II titles, the Cobras had its 20-match winning streak snapped by the defending NJCAA Division II National Champions. Ranked No. 1 in the first four polls this season, Coffeyville held the Cobras to a .158 hitting percentage in its second loss of the season. While Coffeyville held the Parkland outside hitters in check, the Cobras found offensive success through its middle blockers as Shelby Nunamker and Dakota Harmon combined for 20 kills with a .271 hitting percentage. Nunamker also played a key role defensively, stuffing seven attacks including two solo blocks. Katelyn Riffle added six blocks of her own, while defensive specialist Maggie Sorenson led the team with 28 digs.
 
Playing MCC-Longview shortly thereafter the Coffeyville match, the Cobras bounced back with its 32^nd sweep of the season. Winning each set by double-digits, the Cobras attack was again dominant with a .337 hitting percentage, including a .481 average in the third set. Spreading its 38 kills across nine attackers, freshman Ryleigh Warfel led the team with nine kills and 10 digs, while Nunamker was the top blocker for the second match in a row with five more stuffs.
 
Up next, the Cobras will travel to East Peoria, Illinois on Wednesday, October 10, for a match at Illinois Central. The M-WAC Tournament will follow on Saturday, October 13, with matches against Lincoln Land (11 a.m.), Lewis & Clark (1 p.m.) and John Wood (4 p.m.).
 
DMACC Tournament Results:
 
Friday, October 5:
#19 DMACC: W, 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-14, 25-22)
#11 Hawkeye: W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13)
 
Saturday, October 6:
#3 Coffeyville: L, 1-3 (19-25, 25-19, 22-25, 20-25)
MCC-Longview: W, 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-12)