By: Dana  Becker 

Messenger Sports Staff 

Time and time again here Wednesday night, head coach Sara Horn motioned to an Iowa Central player or two.

Not in frustration or anger — just to remind them of what they had prepared for.

And time after time, it worked.

The fifth-ranked Tritons punched their third consecutive trip to the NJCAA Div. II National Tournament inside a loud and boisterous Hodges Fieldhouse, sweeping No. 12 Hawkeye in the Region XI-A championship.

Scores were 25-23, 26-24 and 26-24.

"I'm just so happy for the girls," Horn said. "Nationals week is so unique and exciting, and you just want everybody to experience it. We are one of the best teams in the country and we earned this right."

Katilyn Steffes, one of four Iowa Central (34-5 overall) players named to the all-tournament team, had 10 kills in the first set and 10 more in the second, finishing with a match-high 24. The returning All-American was also named the most valuable player of the regional.

Steffes is one of a handful of players back from the fourth-place team a year ago, and was also on the 2020 squad that finished a program-best third at nationals.

Sophomores Jori Hajek, Brooke Dobson and Kira Matthias joined Steffes on the honor team. All four have now been key players in the best two-year stretch in terms of win percentage, topping the run from 2020-21.

Full article at https://www.messengernews.net/sports/local-sports/2022/11/triple-play-3/