GALESBURG — Fresh off an impressive weekend and nearly jumping into the national rankings, the Carl Sandburg College volleyball team stayed hot with a 25-21, 25-14, 25-15 sweep of Arrowhead Conference rival Black Hawk on Tuesday at John M. Lewis Gymnasium.
The Chargers — who went 5-1, including a victory against 12th-ranked Waubonsee, over the weekend at the Waubonsee Invite — have won nine of their last 10 overall and haven’t dropped a set in their three home matches. The hot streak helped Sandburg be first among others receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, which came out Tuesday afternoon.
The Braves (6-10, 2-2) didn’t threaten often as the Chargers had double-digit leads in all three sets. Josalyn Owens (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln) had six of her team-leading 15 kills (on just 25 attacks) in the first set, helping Sandburg building a 24-13 lead before a late 8-0 run by BHC.
Sandburg led 13-10 in the second before winning seven of the next eight to stretch its lead to 20-11. Down 6-5 in the third, the Chargers took the lead for good with a 7-0 run that included four aces from Hannah Thompson (Blandinsville, Ill./West Prairie).
Thompson also contributed a team-best 18 digs for Sandburg, and sophomore Sam Mayberry (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) turned in three blocks to lead all Chargers. Setters Emma Derry (Augusta, Ill./Southeastern) and Camerin Huizenga (Fulton, Ill./Fulton) had 21 and 14 assists, respectively. Jordan Price (Fulton, Ill./Fulton) notched seven kills for Sandburg while Lexi Strange (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) tallied six.
Sandburg will travel to face Indian Hills (Iowa), ranked sixth in Division I, at 7 p.m. Wednesday before returning home to take on Lincoln at 6 p.m. Monday.
