Volleyball rolls to 4-0 start in Nebraska

The Cowley College volleyball team did not drop a set while going 4-0 at the season-opening Central Nebraska Kickoff Classic played Friday and Saturday in Columbus, NE.

The Lady Tigers opened with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-16 win over Iowa Lakes before knocking off College of St. Mary JV 25-15, 25-14, 25-22. Then, on Saturday, Cowley defeated Southwestern Nebraska 25-4, 25-7, 25-5, before wrapping up the weekend with a 25-21, 25-12, 25-16 win over Dakota College at Bottineau.

"We did everything we set out to do," Cowley head coach Steven Gream said. "We played scrappy defense and utilized our hitters very well. Our defense and offense were in sync and we served aggressively."

Sophomore outside hitter Iva Halacheva led Cowley with 59 kills in the four matches and became just the third Lady Tiger volleyball player to surpass 1,000 career kills

"Iva picked up where she left off," Gream said. "She sees the floor so well and got some good looks thanks to her teammates."

Freshman setter Rossana Papa recorded a pair of double-doubles and led Cowley with 142 assists and 30 digs in the four victories. Papa also registered eight aces on the weekend.

"Rossana did a good job distributing the ball and served well also," Gream said.

Fellow freshman Gyongyver (G) Araczki, a middle hitter from Hungary, added seven blocks and joined freshman Landry Cate with a team-high 12 aces at the Classic.

"The newcomers got over the early season jitters and played well once they got going," Gream said. "G was a force in the middle," Gream said.

Cowley will face top-ranked and defending national champion Johnson County (4-0) Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Overland Park. The contest will be the conference opener for both teams.

"It will be a battle," Gream said. "Both sides will be ready. This past weekend should give us some confidence, so we will see where the chips may fall."