Triton Volleyball Finishes 9th at NJCAA National Tournament

Posted: Nov 23, 2024

Triton Volleyball Finishes 9th at NJCAA National Tournament

Cedar Rapids, IA - In a situation much like Wednesday's (11/20) tournament opener vs. Johnson County, the Tritons fell to Illinois Central in a tight 5-set thriller on Friday (11/22) afternoon in Cedar Rapids at the NJCAA National Tournament. After dropping the first set, the Tritons would dominate sets two and three before falling in the final two. Set scores were 15-25, 25-13, 25-18, 16-25, 12-15.

Leading the Tritons were Tayla Sampson with 16 kills, Emily Goodner with 12, and Olivia Sturgis adding 10. Natalie Hagadon had 23 digs with Olivia Benson adding 10. As a team, the Tritons tallied 34 kills and 47 digs.

The Tritons opened National Tournament play on Wednesday in a matchup with #7 Johnson County. It came down to the final point in the fifth set with the Tritons coming up just short, 17-25, 25-12, 25-15, 19-25, 13-15. Tayla Sampson led the way with 22 kills and Emily Goodner had 14. Anabel Seaman had 29 assists with Olivia Benson adding 24 digs.

A bounce back win (25-20, 18-25, 27-25, 25-20) on Thursday (11/21) over Mesa to stay alive on the consolations side set up the Friday matchup with Illinois Central. First Team All-Region selections Araya Garrison and Olivia Sturgis both had 16 kills for the Tritons. Dani Anela Kapu had 24 assists and five Tritons had double-figure digs with Olivia Benson's 19 leading the way.

"We are incredibly proud of this team for a great year. They were an incredibly easy team to coach as they worked hard, got along great, and did what they were suppose to do both on and off the court." said Triton Head Coach, Sara Horn. "We will have multiple Academic All-Region players and they are not only great players, but great people."

The loss finishes the Tritons' season with a 30-9 record and a 9th place finish in their fifth consecutive National Tournament berth.

"We will miss our 11 sophomores and we wish them nothing but the best" said Horn. "We are excited to see where they go in their futures."

Statistical Leaders vs. Johnson County -

Kills - Talya Sampson (22), Emily Goodner (14)

Digs - Olivia Benson (24), Talya Samson (17), Anabel Seamon (12)

Assists - Anabel Seaman (29), Dani Anela Kapu (27)

Blocks - Olivia Sturgis (3), Araya Garrison (3), Talya Sampson (3)

Statistical Leaders vs. Mesa -

Kills - Olivia Sturgis (16), Araya Garrison (16)

Digs - Olivia Benson (19), Talya Sampson (14), Natalie Hagason (13), Dani Anela Kapu (12), Anabel Seaman (11)

Assists - Dani Anela Kapu (24), Anabel Seaman (23)

Blocks - Olivia Sturgis (6), Emily Goodner (3)