ELGIN, ILL. - In pursuit of their fifth region title and subsequent appearance at the national tournament since, the Madison College volleyball team came up a few points shy as they ended their season in the NJCAA Region IV Division III Championship Match at Elgin Community College for the second consecutive season Saturday. After outlasting third-seeded College of DuPage in a 3-2 win in the semifinals, the second-seeded WolfPack found themselves on the losing end of a five-setter with a 3-2 setback to top-seeded Harper College. Madison College finishes the season with a 21-8 record and runners-up in the region for a fourth time, while the Hawks will represent Region IV at the NJCAA DIII Women's Volleyball National Championships in Rochester, Minnesota, for a second consecutive year.

Region IV Semifinal: (2) Madison College 3, (3) College of DuPage 2

The postseason opener saw the #4-ranked WolfPack trade sets with the Chaparrals, with each set decided by five points or less. The College of DuPage (23-15) won the opening set, 25-23, and Madison College responded with 25-20 decision in set two. After the Chaparrals regained control in an extended third set by a 26-24 margin, again it was the 'Pack finding an answer to even the match at two sets each with a 25-21 victory in the fourth. In the decisive fifth set, Madison College pulled away for a 15-9 win that sent them to the Region IV title match for an eighth time in nine years.

The WolfPack posted a .292 attack percentage, their highest mark in a five-set match this season. Their 57 kills is the third most in a match in 2017, while the 51 assists matched the second highest total on the year. Defensively, the team's dozen blocks marks the fourth time the 'Pack have been in double-figures in that category.

Three players reached double-digit kills, led by sophomore Megan Corcoran's 20. The Madison, Wisconsin, native was one kill shy of tying a career-best as she hit the 20-kills plateau for the third time. Corcoran also had a team-leading .400 hit percentage, finishing with just four hitting errors in 40 attempts. The outside hitter did her part defensively, as well, with a career-high and team-best 22 digs en route to her tenth double-double.

Freshman Paige Hostetler posted 16 kills - her ninth double-digit kills match - and a .368 efficiency. Fellow first year Maria Capra enjoyed a career day, setting personal best marks with ten kills (.364) and seven blocks.

Setter Keely Brown triggered the offense with career-high 48 assists. The sophomore from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, reached her 15th double-double with 18 digs.

Other key contributors included Maddie Scalissi, Olivia Darkow, and Paige Alsum, as the freshman collected 21, 12, and 11 digs, respectively. Lori Sanders had five blocks as Madison College extended their win streak over the Chaparrals to 26 matches.

Region IV Championship: (1) Harper College 3, (2) Madison College 2

In a rematch of last year's title match, Madison College looked to snap a five-match losing streak against the #1-ranked and defending national champion Harper College. After each team won a set 25-20, the Hawks flexed some muscle with a resounding 25-11 third set win that put the WolfPack's season in the balance. However, Ashley Davis' club responded with an intense 25-22 victory in the fourth to stay alive and force a decisive fifth set. With neither team willing to give an inch, the final set needed additional play before Harper snatched way a 16-14 decision to clinch their second straight NJCAA Region IV title.

Playing their sixth five-set match of the season and their second of the day, Madison College once again stacked up some pretty impressive numbers. The WolfPack's 52 kills made it the seven matches this year with 50 or more kills, which they achieved by hitting an impressie .283 attack percentage. That number was highlighted by a .533 efficiency in the fourth set when their backs were firmly against the wall. They also had 12 blocks for the second match in a row, giving the team five matches with ten or more blocks.

Sophomore middle blocker Lori Sanders enjoyed her best match with the WolfPack, posting a season-high 15 kills with just a single hitting error on 28 total attempts for an attack percentage of .500.  In addition to her second double-digit kills match of the year, the transfer and Portage, Wisconsin, native led the team with seven blocks, matching her season-best from exactly one month earlier. 

Outside hitter Megan Corcoran was the only other player with double-digit kills, finishing with 11 and hitting at a .222 clip. She also tallied 14 digs for her second double-double of the day. Freshmen Paige Hostetler and Mariah Capra each had eight kills.

Keely Brown continued her success day with 47 assists, one shy of her career-best from earlier in the tournament and giving her 95 for the day. For her efforts, the sophomore setter was named to the Region IV All-Tournament Team. Brown earned another double-double with 13 digs.

Maddie Scalissi tracked down 25 digs, her second highest total of the season and her ninth effort of 20 digs or more. The former Milton HS athlete was also selected to the Region IV All-Tournament Team. Fellow freshmen Olivia Darkow and Paige Alsum added double-digit digs for the second consecutive game with 11 and ten, respectively.

Harper College (35-5), winners of six straight against the WolfPack and 16 of the 31 all-time meetings between the programs, repeats as Region IV champs and will further its defense of the 2016 NJCAA DIII championship in Rochester, Minnesota, on November 10 and 11.


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