MADISON, WISC. - A two-team race for the North Central Community College Conference championship entering the final week of the regular season is now over after Madison College suffered a 3-1 loss to Rock Valley College on Sophomore Night at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles, ranked #5 in the latest NJCAA Division III Poll, held off a surging #9-ranked WolfPack in a 25-20, 25-17, 18-25, 28-26 four-set contest that clinched RVC's first N4C crown since 2012. The rubbermatch between the two rival programs also gives Rock Valley the upper hand ahead of the NJCAA Region IV Tournament brackets being released.

Rock Valley College (20-10, 10-1), which has won three of the last four meetings with the WolfPack after dropping 14 straight from 2012 to 2017, controlled most of the opening two sets and built a 14-6 advantage early in the third. With their backs against the wall, Madison College found new life and ran off eight straight points as part of a much bigger 19-4 run that forced a fourth set. An epic back-and-forth fourth set looked like it might go the way of the home team with a 22-19 lead as they tried to force a decisive fifth set. However, the Golden Eagles would not go away, eventually tying the set to force extra points and claiming the match victory.

Freshman MB/OH Tianna Sackett paced the WolfPack with 16 kills, falling one shy of matching her career-best mark set on September 18 against RVC. The West Salem, Wisconsin, native also had a team-leading .353 attack percentage en route to her eighth double-digit kills effort in the last ten matches. Sophomore outside hitter Paige Hostetler was right behind with 15 kills, a .136 efficiency, and a seven digs. In the process, Hostetler broke the program's single season record for kills, previously set by Kayla Conner in 2008 with 393. The native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who broke the all-time kills record during October 4 match against Clarke University JV, now boasts 402 kills on the year.



Second year setter Olivia Darkow racked up 36 assists, to go along with 14 digs, two kills, and two aces. The former West Bend East athlete owns six double-doubles in the last ten matches. Libero Maddie Scalissi tracked down 25 digs and served up a pair of aces, while defensive specialist Kacee Kruczek reached ten digs for her seventh match with ten or more. Of the team's four blocks, three were credited to freshman middle blocker Isabella Carrillo and one to Sackett.

Before the evening's first serve, the four-member sophomore class of Paige Hostetler, Olivia Darkow, Paige Alsum, and Maddie Scalissi were recognized and honored for their commitment and sacrifices to the program. (See Sophomore Night ceremony video above with main story image.)



Up Next:

Madison College (15-10, 8-3) will conclude N4C play with a second straight match against a NJCAA DIII Top Ten team when they travel to play #10 Harper College (19-10, 8-3) on Thursday. The two rivals, and winners of the last five conference titles, are tied for second in the conference and still battling for seeding within the NJCAA Region IV Tournament. The WolfPack defeated the Hawks 3-1 in Madison last month to end a six-game skid in the head-to-head series, which stands at 17-15 in favor of the 'Pack. First serve is at 6:00 p.m. in Palatine, Illinois.

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