SAFRANEK LEADS NORTHEAST PAST WESTERN IOWA TECH IN FIVE SETS

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community College volleyball team battled in their regular season finale Wednesday night at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk against Western Iowa Tech Community College. The Hawks took the competitive match by a final score of 3-2.

Northeast (24-14, 8-3 ICCAC) and the Comets entered the night just one spot apart from each other in the Region 11 standings with the showdown deciding who would host a Region 11 Tournament Quarterfinals match next Wednesday. The Hawks took the first two sets before Western Iowa Tech rallied back to force a fifth set. Shaylyn Safranek (Merna, Neb.) had a huge night with five blocks, five ace serves, 17 digs and 59 assists as Northeast was able to secure the victory in the fifth and final set. The Hawks clinched a home match in the playoffs with the victory and will be the No. 3 seed in the Region 11 Tournament.

STAT SHEET:

SET SCORES: 25-12, 25-21, 29-31, 22-25, 15-12

Kills: Mya Hedstrom (O'Neill, Neb.) 20, Avery Couch (David City, Neb.) 10, Kaidence Wilson (North Loup, Neb.) 10, Daveigh Munter-McAfee (Wakefield, Neb.) 10

Blocks: Shaylyn Safranek (Merna, Neb) 5

Ace Serves: Shaylyn Safranek 5

Digs: Jayden Bestenlehner (Omaha, Neb.) 21, Alex Arenas (Wakefield, Neb.) 21, Shaylyn Safranek 17, Mya Hedstrom, Katy Jones (Hartington, Neb.) 10

Assists: Shaylyn Safranek 59

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Head Volleyball Coach Amanda Schultze on the match against WIT:

"I'm glad that we came out on top," Schultze said. "We definitely let off the gas. Overall, I thought that we played pretty well together. We got a lot of touches defensively on the block, which was good to see. Alex Arenas played really good defense in the back row. We did a good job of mixing up our hits."

Schultze on what hosting a home playoff game means for her program:

"It means a lot," Schultze said. "One of their goals was to be in the top half of the conference. Once of my goals every year is to be in the top three. To finish third is really good. We have a fun group of girls to watch."

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will host the Region 11 Tournament Quarterfinals in a match against Ellsworth Community College at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk.

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