LOCAL ROUNDUP: Sauk volleyball takes fifth at nationals

The Sauk Valley volleyball team finished fifth in the nation at the NJCAA Division II National Championships on Thursday, as the 10th-seeded Skyhawks defeated No. 8 seed Gulf Coast State 23-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-14, 15-10 in the fifth-place match at the tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

It was the third time in four matches the Skyhawks upset a higher seed.

Kiley Sanders had 21 kills and 15 digs, and Emma Carlson added 13 kills and 15 digs for Sauk. Juliana Rotella spiked nine kills, Lexi Greve finished with eight kills and three stuff blocks, and Maddie Sands led the back-row defense with 19 digs.

Audra Goff and Madison Craft each dished 29 assists, with Craft adding 11 digs and Goff adding nine digs. Shannon Lytle chipped in four kills, and Gracey Lovgren stuffed three blocks.

PREP VOLLEYBALL

Sterling def. Galesburg 25-7, 25-9: The Golden Warriors cruised to a two-set win over the Silver Streaks.

Bree Borum had 12 assists and two aces for Sterling. Brooklyn Borum had 13 kills and two aces. Amaiya Hernandez had nine digs.

Oregon def. Rock Falls 25-17, 12-25, 25-20: The Rockets suffered their first Big Northern Conference loss at the hands of the Hawks at Tabor Gym.

Claire Bickett had 14 kills and 11 digs, and Cara Goff added nine kills, 16 digs and three aces for Rock Falls (15-2, 9-1). Denali Stonitsch had 31 assists and seven digs, and Carli Kobbeman chipped in 10 digs. Mallory Pinske finished with seven kills and five blocks.

Newman def. Kewanee 25-20, 25-16: The Comets got nine kills and nine digs from Ally Clevenger to beat the Boilermakers.

Kennedy Rowzee had six kills. Shae McNeill had 10 assists. Jordan Morthland had six digs. Jess Johns had four kills.

Rockridge sweeps Fulton: The Steamers dropped a pair of matches to the Rockets at home.

In a 25-13, 28-26 loss, Kylie Collachia had six kills, nine assists and six digs for Fulton. Brooklyn Brennan had four kills, Jersey Boyson had six assists, and Teegan Germann had eight digs.

In the Steamers’ 25-17, 20-25, 25-20 loss, Gracie Sanderson had eight kills and five digs, Kara Stoecker added six kills and two blocks, and Collachia finished with four kills, 16 assists and six digs. Germann led the way with 14 digs, and Boyson added 10 assists.

Eastland def. AFC 25-22, 25-7: The Cougars caught fire in the second set after eking out a win in the first.

Jessica Milligan had an assist and three aces for the Raiders. Sophie Berkeley had an assists, three digs and an ace. Brittney Mundell had four digs, three kills and a block.

Polo def. Milledgeville 25-20, 25-22: The Marcos pulled out a pair of close sets to beat the Missiles at home.

Nicole Boelens led Polo with nine assists, seven digs, five kills, a block and an ace. Marah Blake chipped in eight kills and two blocks. Victoria Buser had three kills and a block. Becca Wagner had three kills and six digs. Abby Gorzny had two aces, a kill, a block and a dig.

Adriana Miller had five kills and nine digs for the Missiles. Alyssa Mertz added eight assists and five digs. Carissa Hubbard had 13 digs. Rylee Matthews had eight digs.