SMCC Volleyball Defeats Vernon College at Season-Opening Tournament

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College women's volleyball team (1-3) defeated Vernon College (TX) 3-1 on Aug. 20 in Roswell, N.M., as part of the NMMI Bronco Classic on the campus of the New Mexico Military Institute. Freshman Leilani Clark led SMCC with 13 kills in the victory over Vernon College, while five other Cougars had at least five kills. In other action at the event, SMCC fell 3-0 to Navarro College (TX), Tyler Junior College (TX) and Salt Lake Community College (UT). 

Vernon College (TX) Recap

The Cougars posted a 25-17, 25-27, 25-16 and 28-26 victory in the match with the Lady Chaps. As a team, SMCC hit .342 (46-of-79 with 19 errors) and dished out 46 assists. 

Clark hit .400 on 20 swings and added a solo block to finish with a team-high 14 points. Freshman Maleah Reynolds had eight kills on 15 swings and added nine digs and two block assists. Freshman Kylee Carnes had seven kills on nine swings with no errors and recorded five digs.

Sophomore Mckenna Androsky and freshman Gabreya Garcia each had five kills, and Androsky added seven digs and a service ace, while Garcia had three service aces and three digs.

Freshman Maddie Marcotte had a team-high 27 assists and eight digs. Sophomore Gracie Henderson added 19 assists and six digs, and fellow sophomore Nikole Lunsford had a team-high 13 digs.

Navarro College (TX) Recap 

The Cougars fell in straight sets to the Bulldogs: 25-14, 25-22, 25-22. SMCC hit .191 (26-of-47 with 17 errors) with 26 assists and three service aces as a team.

Androsky led the Cougars with seven kills on 13 swings and added four digs and a service ace. Carnes added six kills on 11 swings, and Clark finished with five kills on six swings.

Marcotte led the squad with 21 assists and added six digs. Lunsford posted a team-high nine digs, and Reynolds added three kills and six digs in the loss. Garcia recorded a pair of service aces and had three kills.

Tyler Junior College (TX) Recap

The Cougars fell in straight sets to the Apaches: 25-19, 28-26 and 25-20. SMCC hit .119 (34-of-101 with 22 errors) and recorded 34 assists, 40 digs, and four service aces as a team.

Reynolds led the Cougars with 13 kills and recorded only one error in 26 swings to post a .462 hitting percentage. She added six digs and a solo block. Androsky was second on the squad with nine kills on 19 swings.

Henderson led the team with 17 assists and added five digs, while Marcotte recorded 15 assists and two digs. Freshman Imani Cannon led SMCC with 11 digs and added a pair of service aces, and sophomore Sienna Cumbie was second on the team with nine digs.

Salt Lake Community College (UT) Recap

SMCC fell in straight sets to the Bruins in its final match at the event: 25-19, 25-10, 25-15. As a team, the Cougars hit .000 (15-of-37 with 15 errors) and added 39 digs.

Reynolds and Garcia each had a team-high four kills for the Cougars. Marcotte led the squad with seven assists and Henderson added five. 

Cannon posted a team-high 12 digs to go with two service aces, and Androsky had six digs to go with three kills.

The Cougars had matches against Glendale CC and Pima CC postponed due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols. SMCC now returns to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 1, with a home contest against Chandler-Gilbert CC at 7 p.m.