NORMAL, Ill. — October 10-11, 2025 — No. 6 Parkland College volleyball proved its standing among the nation's elite this weekend, going 3-1 at the two-day Heartland Invitational hosted by Heartland Community College. Facing three nationally ranked programs—including the top two in the country—the Cobras showcased resilience, balance, and composure in one of the toughest stretches of their season. 

Parkland opened the tournament with a statement 3-1 victory over No. 2 Kansas City Kansas (25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 25-16) and lost 2-3 to No. 1 Cowley County Community College (25-20, 25-16, 20-25, 17-25, 15-11) in a drawn-out battle. On Saturday, the Cobras went the distance with No. 8 Johnson County Community College and pulled out a 3-2 win. Parkland finished the weekend with a sweep over Hawkeye Community College. 

Friday, October 10th: No. 2 Kansas City and No. 1 Cowley County

Sammi Christman led the Cobras' attack with 13 kills on a .480 hitting percentage, while Natalie Alexander and Bella McKinney added 10 and 9 kills, respectively. Hailey Warfel directed the offense with 34 assists, and Anna McEwen anchored the defense with an impressive 38 digs. As a team, Parkland posted 50 kills and 125 digs, controlling the tempo and finishing with precision in the final set to earn their first ranked win of the weekend.

In a battle worthy of its top-10 billing, Parkland pushed No. 1 Cowley County to five sets before falling just short. Bella McKinney tallied 11 kills, while Natalie Alexander added 8 kills and 6 blocks. Hailey Warfel dished out 29 assists, while Sammi Christman contributed 6 kills and 5 blocks. Defensively, Anna McEwen once again led the back row with 28 digs. Despite dropping the first two sets, the Cobras battled back to take the next two, forcing a fifth before narrowly falling 11-15 to the nation's top-ranked team.

Saturday, October 11th: No. 8 Johnson County Community College and Hawkeye Community College

Day two began with another ranked thriller, as the Cobras rallied from a two set deficit to stun No. 8 Johnson County in five. Riley Reis led the charge with 13 kills, while Shay McMillen added 9 kills and 5 blocks. Bella McKinney chipped in 10 kills and Addie Beekman contributed 24 digs, giving Parkland a balanced offense across the front line. Setter Hailey Warfel recorded 31 assists, while libero Anna McEwen anchored the defense with 28 digs. The Cobras showed elite poise and endurance, closing the fifth set 15-13 to earn their second top-10 victory of the weekend.

Parkland capped the tournament in dominant fashion, sweeping Hawkeye Community College in straight sets and hitting a collective .318. Shay McMillen led all attackers with 13 kills on .500 hitting, while Natalie Alexander and Bella McKinney added 5 and 4 kills, respectively. Hailey Warfel helped control the offense with 10 assists, and Anna McEwen notched 26 digs on defense. 

Across the 2-day tournament, Parkland's balanced offensive depth and tenacious defense were on full display, with multiple players stepping up in key moments throughout the weekend. The Cobras will look to carry their momentum into the next stretch of conference play as postseason seeding approaches.

"We went into this weekend with a mindset of treating this like pre-nationals," said head coach Cliff Hastings. "The goal wasn't about winning necessarily, but it was about competing and giving us a mental boost for the final few weeks of the season to show that we can compete—and win—when postseason rolls around. We succeeded in that goal and won big matches at the same time. The season can be a long one, so this was a mental boost that I think we needed to finish up the season strong."