CHARLESTON, W.V. – No. 1 seed Parkland volleyball advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Quarterfinals with a 25-3, 25-10, 25-14 sweep of Mercyhurst North East in Thursday's opening round. The Saints, from Pennsylvania, fall to 19-8.
With a total team effort, the Cobras used 19 players in the straight-set victory. Offensively,
Mallory Bergbower led with 9 of the team's 43 kills, while teammate
Amanda Greening added 6, behind 20 assists from setter
Summerlyn Smith and 15 from
Rachel Verdun. The Cobras served up 6 aces, including 2 from
Brooke Norder. On defense,
Maddie Yocks had a team high 10 digs, and
Brittney Litton added 7. Dominating at the net was
Katie Kaiser with 3 of the team's 9 total blocks.
The Cobras, now 55-2, will take on #6 ICC later today, at 6:30 CT. Parkland previously played the 36-10 Cougars, October 2
nd in Champaign, defeating them in straight sets, 3-0.