CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 2-seed Parkland Volleyball advanced to the 2020-21 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament with wins over No. 7-seed Spoon River College (25-13, 25-19, 25-14) and then, No. 3-seed Lincoln Land CC (25-20, 25-16, 16-25, 28-26) in the Central B District Championship match. NJCAA DII Nationals will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 13-15, at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena.
 
Following the championship match, redshirt freshman outside hitter Halle Everett was named the Region 24 Most Valuable Player. Teammates of Everett who were also named First Team All-Region 24 were: freshman right-side hitter Arika Richardson, sophomore setter Summerlyn Smith, and freshman outside hitter Hailey Sperling. Sophomore defensive specialist Kayla Brandon was named Second Team All-Region 24.
 
Now 30-1 on the season, Parkland will be making its 13th consecutive trip to the National tournament, a streak that dates back to 2008. The Cobras have won three National Titles (1999, 2015, 2016), and have not missed the tournament since Head Coach Cliff Hastings took over in 2009. The previous two seasons, Parkland has finished as National Runner-up.
 
In match 1 (Spoon River), Summerlyn Smith (34 assists, 4 aces) initiated the offense, setting up Halle Everette (11 kills, 10 digs, 3 blocks), who had her fourteenth double-double of the season, as well as Hailey Sperling (9 kills), and Jayden Sortor (8 kills, 3 blocks). Kayla Brandon (12 digs, 3 aces), Brittney Litton (11 digs), and Isabella Classen (8 digs) powered the back line, while Everette, Sortor, and Katie Kaiser (2 aces, 2 blocks) were strongest at the net. Smith, Brandon, and Kaiser combined for 9 aces.
 
In the championship match (Lincoln Land), Parkland cruised to victory in the first two sets, but in the third, the Loggers decided they would not go away easily. The Cobras trailed by one or two points throughout the early parts of the match. Lincoln Land then began to pull away, at 11-15, and then expanded the lead to 14-19. At 16-21, the Loggers rattled off four straight to force a fourth set.
 
In the final set, there were numerous ties as the teams battled back-and-forth. It was tied relatively early, at 12, but the intensity grew with ties at 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26. The Cobras had set points at 24-23 and 25-24 but could not convert. The Loggers had a set point at 25-26, but they were foiled as well. In fact, from 25-26, Parkland scored three straight to take the set and match, 3-1.
 
For the match, Summerlyn Smith (48 assists, 11 digs, 2 blocks) and Halle Everett (18 kills, 5 aces, 14 digs, 3 blocks) each recorded a double-double. Complementing Everett in kills were Arika Richardson (14 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks) and Hailey Sperling (9 kills, 4 digs). Led by Brittney Litton (18 digs), the back line produced 76 total digs, with major contributions from Everett, Kayla Brandon (12 digs), Smith, and Isabella Classen (11 digs, 5 assists). Jayden Sortor (6 kills, 5 blocks) and Katie Kaiser (3 kills, 4 blocks) were most productive at the net.
 
A 16-team field, the NJCAA DII National Tournament is a single-elimination format with the final two teams facing off in the DII National Championship match on Thursday, April 15. For more information on the tournament including match times, participants, and in-person attendance, click here.