Rock Valley Volleyball Battles No. 1 Kirkwood, Responds With Sweep of Lewis and Clark
Rock Valley College volleyball faced a challenging matchup against No. 1 nationally ranked Kirkwood Community College before responding with a convincing three-set victory over Lewis and Clark Community College. The Golden Eagles split the two matches, demonstrating their ability to regroup against quality competition and finish with a strong offensive and defensive performance.
Facing the nation's top-ranked NJCAA Division II program, Rock Valley fell to Kirkwood in straight sets by scores of 16-25, 15-25 and 7-25. Kirkwood showcased its offensive efficiency throughout the match, finishing with 41 kills while hitting .479 as a team.
The Golden Eagles finished with 25 kills, 24 assists and 36 digs against the nationally ranked Eagles. Elena Gregotti and Julia Abbade each contributed seven kills, while Jordan Davenport added three kills on six attempts. Nicol Bokuniewicz and Imagin Long each finished with two kills.
Sofia Medina directed the offense with 18 assists, while Mia Stubbs added four. Defensively, Rhema Pace led Rock Valley with 16 digs, while Sonia Prekducaj contributed five and Gregotti added four.
Despite the setback against the nation's top-ranked team, Rock Valley responded with an impressive performance against Lewis and Clark Community College, earning a 3-0 victory by scores of 25-17, 25-16 and 25-8.
The Golden Eagles controlled the match offensively, recording 39 kills on 84 attempts while hitting .310 as a team. Rock Valley also finished with 39 assists, eight service aces and 38 digs.
Gregotti and Prekducaj led the offensive attack with 13 kills apiece. Gregotti delivered an efficient performance, hitting .440 on 25 attempts while committing just two attacking errors. Prekducaj added seven digs and a service ace, while Jasmine Glenn contributed five kills. Davenport and Bokuniewicz each finished with three kills.
Medina directed the Golden Eagles' offense with 34 assists, helping Rock Valley maintain a balanced and efficient attack throughout the match.
Defensively, Pace anchored the back row with a team-high 12 digs, while Gregotti added eight and Prekducaj and Kaelyn McConkay each contributed seven.
Rock Valley also established a strong presence at the net, recording five solo blocks and two block assists. Gregotti led the blocking effort with three solo blocks and one block assist, while Prekducaj added one solo block and one block assist. Bokuniewicz also contributed a solo block.
The Golden Eagles applied consistent pressure from the service line, finishing with eight aces. Pace and McConkay each recorded three service aces, while Medina and Prekducaj added one apiece.
The split highlighted Rock Valley's ability to respond after facing the nation's top-ranked NJCAA Division II team. The Golden Eagles showed improved offensive efficiency and strong execution against Lewis and Clark, closing out the match with a convincing 25-8 third-set victory.
With the sweep of Lewis and Clark, Rock Valley continued to demonstrate its offensive potential and ability to make adjustments as the Golden Eagles progressed through the final stretch of their regular-season schedule.
