Oct. 30, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team won its eighth MCCAA Championship by defeating Mott Community College in a hard-fought, four-set match on Saturday, and now set eyes on the Region XII tournament less than a week away.
GRCC, ranked sixth in the nation, won its 18th match in a row. The team defeated the Eastern Conference Champion Bears 25-22, 21-25, 30-28 and 25-17.
The win improves the Raiders' season record to 21-5 overall while Mott falls to 16-13.
Freshman
Audrey Torres of Caledonia had another phenomenal match and even added a Sports Center-worthy "kick kill" to boot.
"It was an unreal moment getting the kick kill," Torres said. "I just stuck my foot out hoped for the best, but most the credit goes to our liberos, Audrey (Gower) and Ola (Nowak). Audrey had a great pancake dig, while Ola just got enough on it to pass it to my foot. The whole team came together today and it felt great to add another championship to our program's history."
The Raiders' first Michigan Community College Athletic Association championship was in 2010, and the team has won five of the past six titles.
Torres earned her seventh double-double of her college career with a 13-kill, 13-dig performance. She also had a career-high four blocks, including a big solo block in the second set and had a team-high four aces. Sophomore
Kylie Oberlin, of Fruitport, was GRCC's most efficient attacker on the night, with 12 kills and two errors, and had the most blocks with six, including a solo of her own.
Statistical Leaders:
-- Kills: Torres, 13; Oberlin, 12; Annie Holesinger, 11; Morgan Fugate, 6.
-- Assists: Shannon Russell, 36; Nowak 12.
-- Digs: Gower, 19; Nowak, 16; Torres, 13; Russell, 11.
-- Blocks: Oberlin, 6; Torres, 5; Holesinger and Eliza Thelen, 2.
-- Aces: Torres, 4; Charlie Baker, 3; Fugate, 2.
By winning the conference championship, the Raiders received a bye in next week's regional tournament in Port Huron. GRCC will face the winner of the Muskegon-Lansing match on at 8 p.m. on Nov. 4. For all the latest news and results from the tournament, visit the tournament page.
