Rival Neosho County strolled into Allen Community College intending to earn its first Jayhawk Conference win of the season. The Red Devils, had other plans.
ACC dominated Neosho, winning in three sets, and keeping the Panthers winless in conference play.
Neosho is a good team, but they just played top-conference opponents in the start of the season, head coach Whitney Shaw said. We knew they were kind of down because they hadnt won one yet. So, we watched a lot of film and prepared.
The two teams had faced each other earlier on in the season at the Fort Scott tournament on Aug 23. Neosho won, so ACC was prepared to make amends.
The Red Devils trailed early on in the first set 19-13, but rallied to win 26-24. Allen kept up the momentum to win the next two sets by scores of 25-13 and 26-24. When the Devils trailed at any point, they always rallied to take the lead.
This is by far the most resilient team I have had so far, Shaw said. I know if we get in a hole I may have to call a timeout, but the girls will always get it back together. They are very smart, and know what is going on in those types of moments.
Sammie Alexander led the attack with 15 kills, and Adriana Santiago followed with 14 kills. Dishing out the assists were Laia Jaca, who provided 38. Shaw praised her back row players for their efforts. Libero Celymar Cabranes provided 14 digs and Mattie Dougherty added 11.
Another key to the Red Devils success was the atmosphere. The mens and womens soccer teams were in attendance at full voice, and created a unique atmosphere.
Our crowd has been awesome all year, but they are even better in a match like that when it is close and competitive, Shaw said. The crowd was electric, and the girls have been amped up for days in preparation for the game.
Last season, the Red Devils were unable to win a conference game. This year, ACC sits at 17-10 overall, and 3-3 in conference play. The Red Devils will be back in action at home next Wednesday against Johnson County Community College.
