It was a case of home sweet home for Allen Community College Wednesday.
The Red Devil volleyball team wasted little time in taking control of its home-opener against Fort Scott, steamrolling the Greyhounds in straight sets, 25-9, 25-21 and 25-11, in front of a boisterous crowd.
“Everybody played their role well tonight,” Red Devil head coach Maria Aikins said. “The biggest key was being disciplined.”
Allen controlled the action at the net, from the back line and everywhere in between, repeatedly keeping rallies alive before setting up the team’s big hitters, Alysa Ladson, Joliyanis Roman and Josie Weers for a series of thunderous kills.
The Red Devils raced out to leads of 5-1 and 15-4 in the first set before many in the crowd had settled into their seats.
The second set was a bit more competitive. “We got a little complacent there, but I was glad we were able to get it done,” Aikins said.
Allen held a 21-14 lead but Fort Scott put together its longest-sustained rally of the night coming to within 23-19.
But Roman’s blasts provided the 24th and 25th points to end the set in short order.
The Red Devils showed little interest in relinquishing momentum from there, reeling off 12 straight points to lead 13-2.
Ladson ended the night with a cross-court laser from the left side that the Greyhounds could do little more than deflect out of bounds.
The kill gave her a team-high 13 on the night followed by Roman with 12 and Weers with eight.
The key, Aikins said, was patience
“Everybody knew their roles and we were disciplined with what each individual needed to do,” she said. “If you’re gonna serve, then serve aggressively. If you’re gonna be at the net, focus on blocking first, and then swing away. It’s evident that when everyone knows their role, we’re gonna have success with it.”
Roman also led the team with three aces and 12 digs. Audrey Peek had a pair of aces as well.
Isabella Simione-Lagos led with 28 assists and 23 digs, followed by Peek with 17 digs. Chloe Curl blocked a pair of shots.
