OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County Community College volleyball team completed its amazing run through the NJCAA Division II Tournament with a 3-1 (25-15, 22-24, 25-18, 25-19) victory over No. 2 seed Parkland College in the national title match Thursday night at Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Lady Cavaliers (27-2) swarmed the middle of the court after sophomore right-side hitter Mikayla Powell's game-high 19th kill hit the floor close out the match and seal JCCC's first national championship since 2005.
"This is the most amazing group of women – character-wise – that I've ever coached," JCCC head coach Jennifer Ei said. "Not just successful here (on the court). Every single one of them got honors academically. They just are good people."
Powell, who was named MVP of the tournament, had 19 kills and a hitting percentage of .351 in the championship match. She finished the tournament with 57 kills and a .339 kill percentage.
Sophomore Shannon Riley and freshman Sydney Healy, both members of the all-tournament team, combined for 19 kills against Parkland. Riley tallied 51 total kills and a .314 kill percentage, and Healy added 42 kills over the four matches.
Sophomore Gracie LaForge put up solid numbers at the net over the tournament. She contributed nine kills and a team-high seven blocks in the championship, and closed out play with 37 total digs and 15 blocks.
Setters Kallie Fenske (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Ryleigh McBurney (Blue Springs South/Blue Springs, Mo.) combined for 44 assists. For the tournament, they tallied 110 and 97 respectively.
On the back row, sophomores Makenzie Griffel, Alyssa Smith and Maddie Steiner combined for 38 digs. Griffel led JCCC 88 total digs in tournament play, followed by Smith with 64 and Steiner with 39.
Parkland (33-2) finished second for the third straight season. Halle Everett and Jayden Sortor led the Cobras with 15 kills apiece. Summerlyn Smith had 44 assists for Parkland.
JCCC's ride to the championship was quite bumpy at the beginning. The Lady Cavaliers survived two five-set matches against Pima and Kirkwood, fighting off six match points against the Eagles just to reach that point. Then JCCC caught fire. They took six of seven sets from the top-two seeded teams, sweeping No. 1 Illinois Central and went 3-1 with Parkland.
Ei, who is one of the most successful active coaches in the NJCAA, has led nine teams to the national tournament in her 13-year tenure, and reached the title match twice before this year, falling short both times. She can now add National Champion to a polished resume.