Flyers Sweep First Road Stretch, Face Tough Opponents at Owens Invitational

The Sandhills Community College Flyers embarked on an eight-game road trip, starting with an impressive victory over Davidson-Davie Community College and continuing with a strong showing at the Owens Invitational in Perrysburg, OH.

Flyers Start Strong at Davidson-Davie

The road trip kicked off with a dominant 3-0 win against Davidson-Davie Community College in Lexington, NC. Sandhills came out strong, winning the first set 25-18 and only improving from there with 25-15 and 25-10 victories in the second and third sets.

Caroline Bradford led the way offensively, recording eight kills with a .167 hitting percentage. Kristin Dodds added five kills while also contributing to Sandhills' strong defensive effort with two solo blocks and three block assists. Lainey Mullins stood out with a team-high 18 digs, while Bradford excelled at the service line, tallying six aces. The Flyers limited Davidson-Davie to a negative hitting percentage (-.018) across the match.

Owens Invitational - Friday Action

The Flyers arrived in Perrysburg for the Owens Invitational, facing stiff competition. Friday morning began with a thrilling reverse sweep against Kalamazoo Valley Community College. After dropping the first two sets 21-25 and 21-25, Sandhills came storming back, winning the next three sets 25-17, 25-20, and 15-11 to seal the comeback.

Caroline Bradford and Kristin Dodds led the Flyers with 16 kills each. Bradford hit at a .293 clip while adding 20 digs to her well-rounded performance. Dodds finished with a .250 hitting percentage and contributed defensively with four block assists. Setter Mariana Clayton dished out 23 assists and picked up 15 digs. The Flyers showed resilience, outlasting Kalamazoo Valley with strong serving and blocking down the stretch.

Reflecting on the experience, Caroline Bradford shared, "Going to Ohio for some tough competition was a great experience and will be very important for postseason in October. I think the team showed a lot of grit, and I was so proud of how everyone came together and fought for each other. I absolutely love this group of girls."

In the afternoon matchup, Sandhills continued their winning streak with a 3-0 sweep over Lorain County Community College (25-17, 25-19, 25-20). The Flyers were firing on all cylinders offensively, hitting .294 as a team. Dodds was unstoppable with 13 kills, hitting .500, while Katelyn Bunting added six kills with a .545 hitting percentage. Clayton provided 22 assists, helping guide the Flyers to another efficient offensive outing. On defense, Mullins anchored the backline with 14 digs, and Dodds chipped in with a solo block and a block assist.

After the weekend's games, Bunting stated "It was awesome. I loved getting to spend time with my friends and getting to know them better was a great experience." 

Saturday Showdowns

Saturday presented a tougher challenge, starting with a matchup against NJCAA Division II No. 20 Lansing Community College. The Flyers battled hard but ultimately fell 3-1 (23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 16-25). Sandhills fought back to win the second set but couldn't maintain momentum. Dodds continued her stellar play with 13 kills, while Garner and Clayton distributed 18 and 14 assists each with Lainey Mullins picking up 18 digs in the effort. Despite the loss, the Flyers displayed grit against a ranked opponent.

"It was a great opportunity to go and compete with a team ranked that high," Lainey Mullins said. "Especially to stay neck and neck with them the entire time, it just really showed the potential of the team and how good we can be when we all work together—from the girls on the court to the girls on the sideline. We really feed off of each other's energy. Being able to get 27 digs in the game was great for me. I actually didn't realize I had that many until right now. The whole team was working together to be as scrappy as possible."

Garner echoed Mullins thoughts saying "The weekend was full of great competition. It was exciting getting to play at that pace and even more exciting to see our team overcome adversity to be able to power through some tough moments. I'm excited for this team's potential." 

The final match of the tournament saw Sandhills take on No. 3-ranked Owens Community College. The Flyers took the first set 25-23, but Owens responded by taking the next two sets 25-18 and 25-23. Sandhills forced a fifth set after winning the fourth 25-21, but Owens edged out a 15-11 victory in the final set. Dodds, Bradford and Luquer led the Flyers offensively with nine kills apiece. Katelyn Bunting provided a strong presence at the net defensively with four block solo's while Sydney Garner and Zoey Hall dished out 17 assists each in the effort. Freshman Reagan Smith saw her first starting action of the season over the weekend and contributed 10 kills, three of which came against The Express. 

"It was brand new, and I've never played right side for such competitive and crucial games," Reagan Smith remarked. "I was a little nervous at first, but I listened to my coaches, did what I know best, and gave 100% effort."

Jenna Luquer also highlighted her individual performance, saying, "I feel like my personal highlight this weekend was during our last game against Owens. While playing, I felt that my teammates trusted me with the ball, which helped increase my confidence to strategically put the ball down. With Owens being third in the nation, we were still able to compete with them, and this was a great accomplishment as a whole team."

Looking Ahead

The Flyers will return to action Thursday at Lenoir before a double-header at Cleveland Community College on Friday. They will return home on Saturday for a double-header with USC Salkehatchie, with the first match starting at 11 a.m.

This strong showing against tough competition will serve the Flyers well as they continue their road trip and gear up for Region 10 play to come.