Allen’s Lady Red Devils couldn’t keep up when they hosted No. 1 Johnson County in some NJCAA Division II volleyball action Wednesday.
The Lady Red Devils (3-6) came out with the lead in the opening set but it quickly evaporated when Johnson County went on a run to secure a 25-14 win in the first set. Allen dropped the final two sets, 25-17 and 25-14.
“Even if the score didn’t reflect it, we got better playing Johnson,” Allen head coach Maria Aikins said. “We knew we were in for a tough game. They are very disciplined and big in the front row so our defensive coverage had to be spot on tonight.”
Veronica Agostini led Allen on the attack with a team-high six kills, followed by Nadia Gallegos’s five kills and Katy Harris and Abby Altic’s four kills apiece. Altic had a team-high seven points while Gallegos tacked on 6.5 points and Agostini had six.
“Offensive execution is a large part of volleyball,” Aikins said. “Johnson had a great block and they made it tough for hitters to put a ball down. I am very proud of the girls. We have practiced hard the last few days and tried to execute our best game plans against them.”
Isabelle Simone led the way from the serving line with a team-high 18 aces while Chloe Vargas added two aces.
Defensively, Altic led the charge with a team-high nine digs while Agostini had eight digs and Vargas had seven digs. Altic had a team-high three blocks.
“We will be able to take a plethora of things from this match,” said Aikins. “We can tidy up our defense, add more options and shots for hitters and limit unforced errors. Everyone contributed so much that we needed everyone to step up tonight and play their role.”
The Lady Red Devils take on Independence Community College at the MCCKC Invitational on Friday at 10 a.m.
