Flyers Win First Drop Second on Day One at NJCAA Championship

1st Round – Flyers Top Yellow Jackets with Four-Set Win 

The fourth-seeded Sandhills Community College Flyers advanced to the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the 13th-seeded Rochester Community & Technical College Yellow Jackets. The Flyers battled through four hard-fought sets, earning the following scores: 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-18. 

The Flyers will face fifth-seeded Century College Wood Ducks tonight at 8:30 p.m. Century advanced by defeating Raritan Valley Community College 3-0 in their first-round matchup.

The opening set was a back-and-forth battle, with the teams tied at 6-6 early on. Rochester built a three-point lead at 16-13, but the Flyers responded with a 5-2 run to tie the set at 18-18. From there, Sandhills held off the Yellow Jackets to secure the first set.

In the second set, Sandhills raced out to a 5-0 lead before Rochester clawed back to make it 10-8. The Flyers answered with an 8-2 run, extending their advantage to 18-10. Although the Yellow Jackets made another push, trimming the deficit to 21-16, Sandhills closed out the set for a commanding 2-0 lead. 

Facing elimination, the Yellow Jackets rallied in the third set. They overcame a 7-4 Sandhills lead, tying the set at 16-16 before pulling ahead to win and force a fourth set. In the decisive fourth set, the Flyers surged to a 12-5 lead and maintained control, ultimately clinching the match.

Kristin Dodds led the Flyers' offense with 16 kills, while Caroline Bradford added 10. Jenna Luquer, Cassidy Jewett, and Katelyn Bunting each contributed six kills. Sydney Garner paced the team with 22 assists, followed by Zoey Hall with 15 and Lainey Mullins with five. Mullins also anchored the defense with 18 digs, while Mariana Clayton recorded 14 and Nikki Lambert added six.

Game 2 – Flyers Grounded by Wood Ducks

In the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Volleyball Division III National Championship Tournament, the Sandhills Community College Flyers fell 3-0 to the Century College Wood Ducks. The set scores were 25-19, 25-13, and 25-18. 

With the win, the Wood Ducks advanced to the semifinals, where they will face Dallas College Eastfield. Eastfield secured their spot by defeating Owens 3-0. The Flyers move to the consolation bracket and will take on Owens at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow. 

The first set featured four lead changes and intense back-and-forth action. However, the Wood Ducks pulled away late, going on a decisive run to claim the set and a 1-0 lead. 

In the second set, Century dominated from the start, building a 10-4 lead and cruising to a comfortable victory for a 2-0 match lead. The third set mirrored the first, with both teams battling for control early. Despite a late Flyers rally, the Wood Ducks held on to complete the sweep.

Jewett led the Flyers with nine kills, followed by Dodds with five. Bunting and Bradford added four kills apiece. Garner dished out 16 assists, while Hall contributed six. Mullins, Jewett, and Dodds each recorded an assist. On defense, Lambert led with nine digs, while Mullins had eight and Clayton added seven.

Flyers Volleyball History

In game two against Century College, Flyers Libero Lainey Mulliins eight digs pushed her career total to 1,206 surpassing Erica Groff's career mark of 1,204 set in 2017. 

Z. Ciboth