Sophomores Moriah Johnson and Amara Chappelear, both of Ankeny, had 21 and 15 kills respectively to lead the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) volleyball team to a 3-1 win over North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI-A semifinals November 2 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
Set scores were 22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19.
The win moves the Bears into the tournament semifinals Nov. 6 at Creston. DMACC, ranked 16th in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, faces No. 8 Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in the championship match with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Nov. 17 to 19 at Charleston, WV. KCC, which defeated DMACC 3-1 during the regular season, is 31-8 overall and DMACC takes a 23-12 record into the match.
Freshman Leiah Paustian of Marshalltown contributed 45 assists in the Bears’ win over NIACC. Johnson and Paustian had three ace serves apiece. Freshman Erin Francis of Nevada led DMACC in digs with 15, Johnson came away with 13 and Chappelear and freshman Rachael Bair of Clarinda had eight apiece. Francis and Paustian led the Bears in blocks with three apiece, including two block assists each.