The Region XI tournament was in full swing this past weekend in Fort Dodge. The Bears would first take on Southeastern Community College, with a chance to go to the championship round with a victory.
After a 3-0 victory, with all three sets resulting in a 25-22 win for the Bears, they would face rival Iowa Central in the championship game with a chance to advance to the NJCAA National Championship tournament. The Bears were led in the 3-0 sweep over Southeastern by Anna Niehaus who recorded a team high 12 kills to go along with three digs. Sara Hansen had a great game for the Bears as well, recording a total of 36 assists along with 11 digs.
The meeting in the regional championship game between the DMACC Bears and the Iowa Central Community College Tritons would be the third meeting of the two teams this year. The Tritons had swept the Bears in both matchups prior to their third meeting on Halloween. The Tritons took the first set over the Bears with a convincing 25-15 victory. The Bears made a nice effort in the second set, but would ultimately fall 25-22. Iowa Central would sweep the Bears in the match, winning the third set 25-20.
With the 3-0 sweep to the Tritons in the championship round, the Bears would find their season come to an end. They finished the year with an overall 19-15 record, and a 5-4 record in conference play. Kylie Welch led the Bears attack throughout the year with a total of 367 kills, averaging a little over three kills per set. Sara Hansen led the Bears in assists with a total of 819, averaging over seven assists per set. Head coach Danielle Lopez reflected on the season.
“Even though the season didn’t end the way we had hoped these girls worked through the ups and downs, showed such heart and built a family bond that will last a lifetime,” said Coach Lopez. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls during my first season as head coach! I learned a lot and am excited to get to work and looking forward to next year.”
Photo courtesy of dmaccbears.com