PERRYSBURG, Ohio – The Vincennes University volleyball team faced their first set back of the 2023 season earlier this week when they suffered their first loss of the year in five sets at Jefferson College Tuesday night.

The Trailblazers looked to have bounced back very well Friday when VU took part in day one of the Owens C.C. Tournament hosted by Owens Community College in Ohio.

VU began the two-day tournament with a very tough match against the reigning NJCAA Division II National Champion and current D-II No. 6-ranked Richard Bland College from Petersburg, Va.

The Blazers got off to a hot start to the weekend by sweeping the Statesmen 25-22, 25-19, 27-25.

"We were up and down for the entire match," VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. "We served tough and we were precise. We were gunning for one or two of their players who have had a great season thus far. You cannot stop them completely, but you can aim to limit their offensive numbers."

"I felt we made all the big hustle plays and all the crucial plays," Sien added. "The scores don't show how extremely close each set was. I felt we learned a lot from Tuesday's match. That we need to stay in the moment. To win every rally. We took a major step forward in our growth as a team in this match. It was a match played at the next level, so credit the team for getting there."

Vincennes was led offensively by sophomore Paige Parlanti (Las Vegas, Nev.), who recorded another double-double with 13 kills, 11 digs and one ace.

Fellow sophomore Audrey Buis (Franklin, Ind.) ended with seven kills, nine digs, two aces, two blocks and one set assist.

Freshman Elisa Dalla Pozza (Vincenza, Italy) led the Trailblazers in blocking in her VU debut, finishing with an outstanding seven blocks, including two solo blocks, five kills, a team-high three aces, two digs and two set assists.

Freshman Laura Tavares (Merida, Venezuela) ended the first match with four kills, one block and one dig, while sophomore Kennedy Sowell (Effingham, Ill.) rounded out the VU offense with one kill and one dig.

Sophomore setter Maecy Johnson (Chrisman, Ill.) continues to run the Vincennes offense very efficiently, leading the Blazers with 15 set assists, four digs and two kills.

Freshman setter Libby Mehringer (Jasper, Ind.) also got in on the action, adding 10 set assists, three digs and an ace.

Freshman Isadora Dias (Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil) more than held her own at the net, finishing the match with four blocks, including two solo blocks and one kill.

Sophomore libero Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) led the back row defense for the Blazers, finishing with a team-high 18 digs and one set assist, while freshman Grace Flexter (Oblong, Ill.) also checked into the match and recorded four digs.

VU looked to continue to add to the hot start to the weekend in their second match of the day, when Vincennes faced off against Hagerstown Community College from Hagerstown, Md.

The Trailblazers completed the daily sweep by defeating the Hawks 25-12, 25-8, 25-15 to end the first day at Owens C.C.

"The team stayed perfectly engaged during our four-plus hour break between matches," Sien said. "I wanted to scout two teams we were going to play and they all went to the courts to help do that. I do not think I have ever had an entire team do that before. I told them afterward that I appreciated that so much. It shows that they all want to win. That is why we were able to have such a decisive and quick win in the second match."

Vincennes was again led offensively by Paige Parlanti, who just missed out on another double-double, finishing with 13 kills, nine digs, one block and one ace.

Audrey Buis and Laura Tavares just missed breaking into double-digit kills against the Hawks, with Buis ending with nine kills, seven digs, two aces and one solo block. Tavares added nine kills and one block to her totals.

Isadora Dias came through at the net again for the Blazers, finishing with six kills and three digs, while Kennedy Sowell had a great match at the net, her five kills were one shy of matching her career high. Sowell also added two blocks, two digs and one ace.

Freshman Allison Czyzewski (Louisville, Ill.) rounded out the VU offense against the Hawks, finishing with one kill and one dig in the match.

Setters Maecy Johnson and Libby Mehringer again distributed the sets very well all match, with Johnson finishing with 22 set assists, two digs and two aces, while Mehringer added 11 set assist, one dig and one ace.

Freshman setter Dylan DeCoursey (Montgomery, Ind.) also saw the floor against the Hawks, finishing with four set assists and one dig.

Morgan Netcott and Grace Flexter patrolled the back row very well defensively against Hagerstown, each recording nine digs, tied with Parlanti for the team-high, with Flexter adding three set assists and Netcott ending the day with one set assist.

Freshman Ellie Reed (Washington, Ind.) saw her first action of the weekend and recorded one dig for the Blazers as well.

The Trailblazers will look to continue this hot start to the weekend tournament tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 2 when VU closes out the Owens C.C. Tournament against NJCAA Division II No. 14 St. Johns River State College at 9 a.m. eastern, before ending the weekend with a showdown against Oakland Community College at 12:30 p.m. eastern.

"Tomorrow will be a big challenge against St Johns River State, but that's fine." Sien added. "That's why we do this. We travel to play this level of competition to get better. We saw what we are capable of doing today. Getting the matches tomorrow will require us to take another large step forward in realizing more of that potential."

BOX SCORE

GAME ONE

Richard Bland – 22   19   25   x   x

VUVB (5-1, 3-0) – 25   25   27  x   x

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Grace Flexter – 4 digs

Audrey Buis – 10 points, 2 aces, 7 kills, 2 block assists, 9 digs, 1 set assist

Morgan Netcott – 18 digs, 1 set assist

Paige Parlanti – 14 points, 1 ace, 13 kills, 11 digs

Isadora Dias – 4 points, 1 kill, 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists

Maecy Johnson – 2 points, 2 kills, 4 digs, 15 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 1 point, 1 kill, 1 dig

Elisa Dalla Pozza – 12.5 points, 3 aces, 5 kills, 2 solo blocks, 5 block assists, 2 digs, 2 set assists

Laura Tavares – 4.5 points, 4 kills, 1 block assist, 1 dig

Libby Mehringer – 1 point, 1 ace, 3 digs, 10 set assists

GAME TWO

Hagerstown – 12   8   15   x   x

VUVB (6-1, 3-0) – 25   25   25   x   x

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Grace Flexter – 9 digs, 3 set assists

Audrey Buis – 12 points, 2 aces, 9 kills, 1 solo block, 7 digs

Dylan DeCoursey – 1 dig, 4 set assists

Morgan Netcott – 9 digs, 1 set assist

Paige Parlanti – 14.5 points, 1 ace, 13 kills, 1 block assist, 9 digs

Isadora Dias – 6 points, 6 kills, 3 digs

Allison Czyzewski – 1 point, 1 kill, 1 dig

Maecy Johnson – 2 points, 2 aces, 2 digs, 22 set assists

Kennedy Sowell – 7 points, 1 ace, 5 kills, 2 block assists, 2 digs

Laura Tavares – 9.5 points, 9 kills, 1 block assist

Libby Mehringer – 1 point, 1 ace, 1 dig, 11 set assists

Ellie Reed – 1 dig