Wallace State volleyball drops NJCAA Division I National Championship opener to top-seeded Miami Dade
HUTCHINSON, KAN. – Wallace State’s volleyball team dropped a gritty match in its National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship opener on Thursday, losing 14-25, 17-25, 11-25, to top-seeded and defending national champion Miami Dade (Fla.) College in Hutchinson, Kan.
Wallace State, the tournament’s No. 16 seed, led briefly in the first two sets and never trailed in double digits until the third set.
“Miami Dade is really good. Their ball control was great, and they put so much pressure on you on the attack. We were able to stay with them at certain points, but it was hard to sustain it throughout. They’re national champions for a reason,” said Wallace State coach Randy Daniel, who has led the Lions (34-9) to the national tournament for a ninth straight season.
Wallace State, which is also making its 17th national tournament appearance overall, was led by sophomore Kaylee Maddox’s eight digs and five kills.
Abby Borden finished with 14 assists and six digs for the Lions, Emily Wilson had a team-high 11 digs, Morgan Kyles added nine digs and Kati Thomas had six digs. Lexie Riggins had six kills for Wallace State and Maya Jones added five.
Wallace State will look to keep its season alive Friday in the double-elimination event. The Lions play eighth-seeded Panola College at noon. All matches are streamed live at www.njcaatv.com.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit http://athletics.wallacestate.edu/
______________________________
Russell Moore
Staff Writer, Communications and Marketing
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000, Hanceville, AL 35077
1-866-350-9722 256-352-8443 direct
Visit us online at www.wallacestate.edu