OVERLAND PARK — Allen Community College ended a grueling gauntlet of volleyball on a tough note Wednesday.
The Red Devils, who in the span of a week had to face top two ranked NJCAA-II teams in the nation, also played a hotly contested tournament over the weekend in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
First the good news.
After dropping a 3-1 loss to defending national champion Cowley County last Wednesday — Allen did hand the No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Tigers their first set loss of the season — the Red Devils went a perfect 4-0 in a tournament hosted by Metropolitan Community College.
But Allen had few answers for Wednesday’s showdown at No. 2-ranked and unbeaten Johnson County.
The Cavaliers ended the first set with 11 straight points, ended the second set on a 6-0 run and took control midway through the third set to finish off the 25-12, 25-19 and 25-13 sweep.
Josie Weers led Allen with seven kills, followed by Alysa Ladson with six and Thauany Mendes with four. Isabella Simione-Lagos added 14 assists. Audrey Peek and Ladson had 24 and 15 digs, respectively.
The loss drops Allen to 10-4 overall and 2-2 in Jayhawk Conference action.
THE MOOD was considerably brighter for Allen last Friday and Saturday, when the Red Devils traveled to Lee’s Summit for a tournament hosted by Metropolitan Community College.
Allen took down Marshalltown (Iowa) in straight sets, 25-19, 25-16 and 25-22; Canton, Ill.-based Spoon River in four sets, 25-14, 19-25, 25-21 and 26-24; York (Neb.) University’s junior varsity, 25-12, 25-10 and 25-11; and finally host Metropolitan in four sets, 21-25, 25-13, 25-23 and 25-20 to complete the 3-1 win.
INCOMPLETE statistics from the weekend tournament showed Weers, Juliyanis Roman and Ladson sharing the team lead in kills with 30 each, while Simione-Lagos led in assists. Camila Afonso racked up at least six service aces and Grayce Larimore had 18 kills and six blocks. Chloe Curl also had at least 24 kills.
The Red Devils will get a bit of a respite from their busy schedule. They don’t return to action until next Monday with a triangular in Wichita against the junior varsity squads of host Friends University and Ottawa University. Allen resumes conference play next Wednesday at home against Hesston.
