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The Montcalm Community College Centurions women’s volleyball team put together one of its strongest stretches of the season this past week, rolling to a straight‑set road win at Kirtland Community College on Sept. 30 before falling in four tight sets to North Central Michigan College in Grand Rapids Oct. 2.
The Centurions (2-4 MCCAA Northern, 3-11 overall) now sit in the thick of the MCCAA Northern Division race, preparing for a pivotal matchup at home against Delta College on Oct. 7. The game begins at 6:30 p.m.
MCC’s sweep at Kirtland (1-5 MCCAA Northern, 7-12 overall) — 26-24, 25-19, 25-21 — was built on clean serve‑receive, steady serving and a balanced offense — exactly the traits Centurions head coach Kara Youngs said her team has been working to sharpen.
“We passed well in serve receive which created a consistent offense,” Youngs said. “We also served very well.”
The opening set was tight throughout, but MCC stayed in front most of the way and closed out the final points with composure.
“We played ahead in the majority of the match and closed it out at the end,” Youngs said.
The momentum from MCC’s historic five‑set win at Bay College earlier in the week carried directly into this match.
“I think the win against Bay helped instill the confidence we needed,” Youngs said. “It showed where we can play and what we can do as a team.”
Freshman middle blocker Ava Flynn (Belding, Mich.) delivered one of the night’s biggest boosts off the bench.
“Ava came in off the bench and played very well in the middle for us,” Youngs said. “She created a great block and provided some needed offense.”
Stat leaders vs. Kirtland
Kills: Ayanna Sanders — 9
Blocks: Aubrie Uebele — 2
Digs: Erin Borek — 15
Aces: Erin Borek — 4
Montcalm’s home game against North Central Michigan had to be moved to Grand Rapids Community College due to a power outage at the Sidney campus Oct. 2, so home-court advantage was not a factor, unfortunately for the Centurions, who lost to the conference rival Timberwolves, 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-10, 25-23).
Against NCMC, MCC found itself in another grind and despite a strong second set and a late push in the fourth, the Centurions couldn’t fully overcome a rough third set.
Youngs said the opening frame slipped away due to errors and avoidable points.
“We talked about making them earn more points,” Youngs said. “We gave up too many errors the first set and had some net violations that cost us too many points early on.”
MCC responded with a sharp second set, cleaning up mistakes and controlling the tempo. But the third set — a 25‑10 loss — was uncharacteristic.
“Yes, we don’t usually fall behind that far; most our matches are in the 20s,” Youngs said. “We did not pass well enough to run a system to stay competitive in that match.”
After the third, Youngs adjusted the lineup to change the pace and look of the offense.
“We just made adjustments in the lineup to help set a different pace and look in the fourth set,” she said.
The fourth set nearly swung MCC’s way — the Centurions led 22‑17 — but missed serves and late aces allowed NCMC to steal it.
“We just missed serves when needed and allowed more aces at the end that should have been stopped,” Youngs said. “We did not play well out of system, which caused an easier offense for them to run.”
Stat leaders vs. NCMC
Kills: Andie Bennett, 11
Blocks: Ayanna Sanders, 2
Digs: Erin Borek, 15
Aces: Amy Anderson, 3
Where MCC stands — and what’s next
Despite the split, Youngs said the past two matches show the team’s defining trait: resilience.
“The best thing with this team is each match they fight and battle,” she said. “We have a ton of close matches, so I know they don’t quit even if they are down, which puts more pressure on opponents.”
With Delta College (5-3 Northern, 10-11 overall) one of the leading Northern Division teams currently, MCC’s next match will demand precision.
“We just have to play cleaner,” Youngs said. “We need to serve tough but consistent and pass well. Once we can run a good system and limit service runs, we will be able to challenge and compete.”