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The Montcalm Community College volleyball team has secured a spot in the upcoming NJCAA Region XII tournament and now has an opportunity to improve its postseason positioning with two regular-season matches remaining. 

The Centurions clinched their regional berth with a 3-1 road victory over Alpena Community College on Monday, Oct. 26, securing one of the top five spots in the MCCAA Northern Conference standings. 

MCC head coach Kara Youngs said the win was a significant milestone for a team that has continued to improve throughout the season. 

"That was a huge win for us," Youngs said. "With that win, we were able to qualify for regionals. The top five teams go to regionals." 

For sophomore outside hitter Erin Borek (Grand Rapids, Mich.), qualifying for regionals represents a goal the team has pursued for more than a year. 

"It feels awesome to clinch a spot in regionals," Borek said. "This is a new milestone for our group, so all of us girls are really excited to continue our season a little longer. Reaching regionals is something we sophomores have been working toward since last year, so accomplishing this goal means a lot to us. It feels like a blessing because we have put in so much hard work, time and effort to get here." 

Montcalm enters the final week of the regular season in fourth place in the conference standings with a 5-6 league record and an 8-15 overall mark. The Centurions are coming off a busy stretch that included a 3-0 victory over Grace Christian University on Oct. 23, losses to St. Clair County Community College and Kellogg Community College at the Skippers Tri-Meet on Oct. 24, and the postseason-clinching win over Alpena. 

Youngs said the demanding schedule tested her team's resilience. 

"I think it shows the toughness of this team," she said. "We had multiple games this last week and a challenging Saturday playing highly seeded teams. We played well against them, and that helped going into Monday." 

She said her team's ability to learn from the challenging matchups proved valuable against Alpena. 

"We were challenged with what we learned and the system we had to defend against over the weekend," Youngs said. 

Throughout the season, resilience has become one of the team's defining traits. 

"They have come back in multiple sets," Youngs said. "They play hard from start to finish. This time of season, fatigue can set in, but I feel like they're just getting stronger." 

Borek said the team's growth has been evident on both sides of the court. 

"Our defense has been strong all season, but our offense has continued to improve as well," she said. "We have been working on finding smart shots that help us score points and have also become more aggressive at the service line, and our serve receive has been getting better." 

"As the season has gone on, we have grown more confident and learned how to play better together." 

Several players stepped up in the victory over Alpena, including sophomore right side  hitter Andie Bennett (Reed City, Mich.) and sophomore defensive specialist Jocee Pleune (Grant, Mich.). 

"Andie came through with really big swings during moments we needed them, and Jocee was solid defensively," Youngs said. 

The coach also credited the depth of MCC's roster for helping the team remain competitive late in the season. 

"Our depth on the bench is extremely strong," Youngs said. "Deep into the season with fatigue, we're able to pull from the bench and still be strong on defense and offense. It's great to have those resources when needed." 

Youngs said the team's chemistry has continued improving as players push one another in practice and seamlessly adjust when called upon during matches. 

"We're challenged every day with each other at practice, and we're creating good chemistry," she said. "Being able to go in and have them adjust right away when someone needs a moment has been really big for us this month." 

MCC's confidence has also grown during its recent success. 

"Our mentality, confidence, chemistry and trust with each other in tough moments have been huge for us," Youngs said. "They focus on one play at a time rather than the whole picture, and that's had a big impact." 

The Centurions recently received additional recognition as Pleune was named MCCAA Northern Conference  Defensive Player of the Week, marking the program's first conference player-of-the-week honor in two years. 

Despite already qualifying for regionals, MCC still has plenty to play for. The Centurions are scheduled to travel to North Central Michigan College on Wednesday, where a win could help them move into third place in the conference standings and earn an automatic regional tournament berth rather than participating in a play-in match. 

Borek said the team understands what it must do to keep its season going. 

"From here, we need to continue on the path we have started and keep playing our game," she said. "We have to stay focused, trust each other and use the skills we have worked on all season." 

"If we play with confidence and give our best effort, we will give ourselves a great chance to keep moving forward." 

MCC will close the regular season at home against Grace Christian University at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Centurions defeated Grace Christian in straight sets on the road Oct. 23. 

"We're at such a solid point, and we're just getting better," Youngs said. "It's a huge testimony to what these girls are putting in. You see it in their mentality and how hard they're working in practice every day."