Trending — Allen Community College volleyball.
Allen bounced back from a disappointing loss at Hesston Wednesday with a stellar performance in its 2012 Allen Invite this weekend.
The two-day round-robin tournament had two teams go undefeated. Allen was one of those teams with a dramatic five-set win over NJCAA Division II 17th-ranked Fort Scott Community College. The other was Neosho County Community College of Chanute, which also knocked off the ranked Greyhounds in Friday’s first round of games.
Allen jumped out to a two-set lead on Fort Scott. The Red Devils were leading in the third set but the Greyhounds found a way to extend the match with a win. Again, the Red Devils led late in the fourth set, 20-17 and had the serve.
Again Fort Scott, led by Ashley Bell at the net, rallied and forced a deciding fifth set, in which the first team to 15 wins.
All the other teams were done and cleared out of the Iola Recreation Building at Riverside Park Saturday afternoon. The Red Devils and Greyhounds plus their fans were all alone in the gym.
It was point-for-point and tied at 6-6 when freshman libero Sarah Charbonneau stepped to the service line for Allen. It was 7-6 and freshman Sidney Keith made a solo block for a point then the teams changed sides with ACC up 8-6.
Allen still had the serve and Hayley Mertens, sophomore hitter, put down one of her match-high 23 kills. Fort Scott claimed possession but Allen stayed in the lead in a sideout contest.
Fort Scott tied the set at 12-12 then sophomore Randi Billings delivered a kill for Allen. Freshman Tayler Shook served and Mertens’ final kill of the match put Allen up 14-12. The Greyhounds fended off a match point and got the serve.
It’s didn’t matter. The Red Devils only needed one point. That point came on a combined block by Mertens and Billings.
Allen defeated Fort Scott 25-20, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13. It was a perfect finish to a perfect weekend in their own tournament.
The Red Devils opened action Friday afternoon with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 win over Labette Community College. They pulled out a four-set win — 25-20, 25-20, 25-27, 25-19 — over Southeast Community College of Lincoln, Neb. Saturday morning, Allen beat Dodge City Community College 31-29, 25-21, 18-25, 25-13.
Mertens, Charbonneau and sophomore setter Jacqui Ortiz were named to the all-tournament team. Mertens, Allen’s outside hitter, earned the tournament MVP honor. She had 63 kills in the four matches, five block assists, 74 digs and had five ace serves.
Charbonneau led the Red Devils with 95 digs and had four ace serves. Ortiz put up 86 set assists, one service ace and made 66 digs.
Fort Scott’s Bell, a middle blocker and hitter, joined the three ACC players on the all-tournament team. Others on the team were Neosho County’s outside hitter Yuleika Jimenez and Laura Broadfoot, who tied with Allen’s Ortiz as setter; Dodge City’s Victoria Cross, Labette’s Alice Cardona and Southeast’s Bailie Muller.
