KANKAKEE, Ill. – No. 1 Parkland College Volleyball (19-0) won both non-conference matches at the Kankakee Tri, beating No. 19 Sauk Valley (7-5) by the score of 3-1, and then earning a 3-0 sweep over Kankakee CC (8-8).
 
Up next, Parkland is right back on the road, traveling to Fairfield, Ill., to participate in the Frontier CC Tri on Sunday, March 7. The Cobras will face Lincoln Trail College at 2:00 pm, and immediately following, Frontier CC, at 4:00 pm.
 
No. 1 Parkland- 3,  No. 19 Sauk Valley- 1  (25-9, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17)
 
In match one's top-20 battle, the teams split the first two sets, but Parkland rallied to take both the third and the fourth. Summerlyn Smith (51 assists, 10 digs) had a double-double, handing out another career high in assists.
 
Arika Richardson (16 kills, 4 blocks) led the Cobras in kills with a .467 shooting percentage. Right behind her were Halle Everett (14 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces) and Hailey Sperling (11 kills). Jayden Sortor (9 kills, 5 blocks) was strong offensively, as well, turning in 9 kills on a blistering .750 shooting percentage.
 
On the defensive side, Brittney Litton (22 digs), Kayla Brandon (15 digs, 5 aces), and Smith combined for 47 of the Cobras' 60 digs. Sortor, Richardson, and Katie Kaiser (6 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks) led Parkland to a total of 8 team blocks.
 
Brandon smashed 5 service aces, while Everett and Kaiser each had 2 of their own.
 
 
No. 1 Parkland- 3,  Kankakee- 0  (25-16, 25-13, 25-21)
 
In match two, Sophie Young (38 assists, 10 digs) initiated the offense and, with defensive production in the back line, recorded a double-double.
 
Reilly Swierbut (19 digs) gathered the most Cavaliers attacks, with additional help from Brittney Litton (7 kills, 12 digs, 2 blocks) and Isabella Classen (9 digs).
 
Kanay Benschneider (6 kills, 6 blocks), Jayden Sortor (10 kills, 5 blocks), and Hailey Sperling (10 kills, 4 blocks) dominated the net, leading the way to a total of 11 team blocks.
 
On the offensive attack, Sortor, who hit a .471, and Sperling split 20 kills, while Litton and Arika Richardson (7 kills, 2 blocks) each chipped in 7.