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Nine games and 38 days. That is how long it has taken for the Montcalm Community College Centurions women’s volleyball team to get to its first home game of the season.
After a 3-0 loss at Delta College, Sept. 16, Centurions head coach Kara Youngs said she and her team are ready to finally enjoy a match on their home court, which will be Friday, Sept. 18, against Owens Community College.
“We are focused on finally getting to enjoy home-court advantage for the first time this year,” Youngs said. “You take into consideration the long stretch of road games and all the traveling we’ve had to do, and no doubt we are going to embrace and enjoy the moment of our home opener."
During Wednesday’s game, the Pioneers (2-1 MCCAA Northern, 5-7 overall) won 25-21, 25-19 and 25-21 against the Centurions (0-2 MCCAA Northern, 1-8 overall), who were without their leading attacker, freshman outside hitter Ayanna Sanders (Caledonia, Mich.), who suffered a minor injury that kept her out of the game.
Youngs said not having Sanders there impacted her team’s play, but it was the struggles of the Centurions’ serve-receive setups that made it hard for the offense to get going against the Pioneers.
“We struggled more in that department in this game than we have in the past, and that affected our execution on offense,” Youngs said. “If we can’t get the pass up and are forced to basically send a free ball over, it simplifies our opponent’s offense and sets up harder for our defense. If we can get that in-swing system going, it’s better for our defense.”
Youngs said the adjustments that were made in the absence of Sanders did play into their offensive struggles. However, she said her team needs to learn to adjust to changes as the season goes on. She said despite the loss, her team never gave up.
“That’s the thing with this year’s team; no match is ever done for them,” Youngs said. “They’ve proven over these last few weeks that they will keep battling until the end. That’s a good quality to have. Unfortunately, against Delta, we were continuously having to make comebacks instead of getting ahead. Delta kept getting four- or five-point runs, which makes it challenging for our offense to keep up, especially when it wasn’t running as smooth as it usually does.”
Youngs pointed out two performances that were impressive for MCC — sophomores Ella Bishop (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Esther Iung (Perrinton, Mich.) — who both led the team in kills. Bishop finished with four kills, 11 digs, no errors and posted a .267 hitting percentage, while Iung finished with 11 kills.
“Ella is taking on a new role, going from setter to our six-rotation right side, and, over these last few matches, she’s done really good on the defensive side, picking up a lot of digs,” Youngs said. “She’s a really strong hitter and is third or fourth on our team for kills. She’s done a really good job of adjusting and accepting her new role. She’s executing that to the best of her ability.”
Bishop was proud of her performance against Delta, stating that she was happy with how she put the ball on the other side of the net.
“Delta is a very competitive team with super-hustling players,” Bishop said. “Our team, altogether, had a struggle with putting the ball down or being strategic with where we were placing the ball. In the tough situations where we were down by a few, I still kept my head up and continued to play smart and strategically for my team.”
Youngs is hoping the team’s first home game of the season will remedy any struggles the Centurions were having against Delta.
“Our energy will be up with having a home crowd with us finally,” she said.
Bishop said she has been longing for this home game since the season started.
“Being able to play on our home court in front of our community, in front of our fans, will be the most rewarding feeling after our schedule being on the road,” Bishop said. “We love to play in front of the people that support us. This will be a huge home-opener with our new team this year.
“Being able to show off our hard work throughout the summer and preseason, we are ready to work and get a win in front of our people,” Bishop added.
Many times during the road games, during close sets, the Centurions have had to endure the opponent’s home crowd, which makes a big difference during crucial points. Youngs is hoping the Centurions’ home crowd on Friday night swings that crucial-point momentum towards MCC’s side.
“We have a pretty good group of parents who travel with us, but nothing matches the level we have at home with our community support. Having that home crowd is definitely impactful. Our home crowd is always amazing. It will be exciting and loud.”
UP NEXT: The Centurions will host the Owens Community College Express (11-3 overall), which comes into this matchup with a two-game winning streak. Game time is 6:30 p.m.