BC3 Wins Region 20 DIII Volleyball Championship
Courtesy BC3 Athletics
(BUTLER, Pa.) Aryana Girvan had 18 digs and nine kills Saturday as the Butler County Community College volleyball team won Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 crowns with a 25-10, 25-10, 25-17 victory against the Community College of Allegheny County in BC3's Field House.
The Pioneers moved to 18-5 with their sixth consecutive sweep and will host Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at 1 p.m. Oct. 28 in the NJCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic District final.
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Hudson, N.C., is 20-5 and ranked eighth as of Oct. 23 among 86 Division III programs. The Pioneers are No. 15. The winner of the match in BC3's Field House – where the Pioneers are 12-1 this season – advances to the 16-team national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Rosie Carden had 23 assists, Nina Szymanski 22 digs and Lexi Ruckdeschel 10 kills Saturday for BC3, which captured its eighth consecutive WPCC title and fifth Region 20 championship in a row.
"There are very big expectations with BC3 volleyball," said Girvan, who also had three service aces Saturday and was selected as the Region 20 tournament's most valuable player. "It's very exciting to be able to add numbers to those banners."
BC3 has won 19 WPCC titles since 1977 and 13 Region 20 titles in volleyball since 1999. No other BC3 athletics program has won more WPCC or Region 20 championships.
"BC3 volleyball has very high expectations," Carden said. "And it's awesome to meet those expectations."
Added Zoe Morley, one of four sophomores on BC3's 2023 roster: "We got to add more dates onto the banners this year."
While championships are the goal, BC3 coach Rob Snyder said, "more importantly, we want to play good volleyball. And we played really good volleyball today. If you play good volleyball, you should win."
Carden had seven of her 10 service aces in the first set against the Community College of Allegheny County, when BC3 built a 13-1 lead. The Pioneers trailed by only one point in the second and third sets.
"BC3," said Scott Smithley, Community College of Allegheny County coach, "every year, is who you chase."
The Community College of Allegheny County reached the final of the dual championship with a (23-25), 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 victory over Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in a semifinal.
The Pioneers' Johnna Hill, Jozee Weaver, Girvan and Szymanski were selected Saturday to the WPCC all-conference team, and Snyder was chosen as conference coach of the year for the 12th time in a 24-year BC3 career. Carden, Hill and Ruckdeschel were picked for the Region 20 all-tournament team.
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute reached the Mid-Atlantic District title match with a 3-1 victory over Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, N.C., in the Region 10 final Saturday. Sandhills was ranked No. 9 on Oct. 23.
The competition for the Mid-Atlantic District title between the Region 10 and Region 20 champions "will probably jump up about two or three levels," Snyder said. "What that means for us is that we have to play a little bit faster. We have to be a little bit more ready. We can't let any easy points score."
Amber Maurer, Abby Young and Morley were players on a 2022 BC3 squad that advanced to the Mid-Atlantic District title match, where the Pioneers fell to Owens Community College, Perrysburg, Ohio; and to Sandhills Community College.
"Everyone needs to bring their A-game to compete at this level," Maurer said.
"We have to stay focused," Young said, "and play our game the way we know how to play it."
The Pioneers have been nationally ranked seven times in 2023, and as high as No. 9 with an 8-1 record Sept. 11.
Taylor Bumbaugh led the Community College of Allegheny County with 27 digs against BC3. Becky George had seven kills and Lauren Grenesko seven assists.
Bumbaugh, George and Grenesko, and Pennsylvania Highlands' Leonela Nichols and Taylor Rapsky were also selected Saturday to the WPCC all-conference team. Grenesko, Jamiera Mosley and Alexandra Mosley were also picked for the Region 20 all-tournament team.
NJCAA Region 20 Division III Volleyball Championship Central