Rock Valley sweeps away competition for Region IV championship

PALATINE, ILL. - Rock Valley College made quick work of the opposition on Saturday as it swept its way to the Region IV Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship. The top-seeded Golden Eagles defeated third-seeded Harper College 25-19, 25-14, 25-11 to end the Hawks two-year reign atop the region. The title is the first for RVC since 2012.

Rock Valley College, which also swept fourth-seeded Joliet Junior College 3-0 in the semifinals, was led by freshmen Aleah Wight and Kara Cisewski with 12 and seven kills, respectively. Wight had a double-double with ten digs. Cisewski hit a team-leading .875 in the match and picked up five blocks. Three others added at least five kills to the winning effort. Setter Camila Hallmann racked up a double-double with 36 assists and ten digs. Shianne Mitchell finished with 17 digs to key the defensive back row. Head coach Kristy Pierce was named Region IV Coach of the Year.

Harper College, which had reached the NJCAA championship match each of the past two seasons, was led by Abby Wemple's six kills. The #9-ranked Hawks finish the season with a 23-14 record.

The Golden Eagles, ranked #5 in the NJCAA Division III Poll, improve to 23-15 and advances to the 2018 NJCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships in Rochester, Minnesota, from November 8-10.

2018 Region IV Division III All-Tournament Team
Shianne Mitchell - Rock Valley College
Camila Hallmann - Rock Valley College
Aleah Wight - Rock Valley College
Mallory Hecox - Rock Valley College
Karolina Sas - Harper College
Abby Wemple - Harper College
Gabby Fugle - Harper College

Coach of the Year
Kristy Pierce - Rock Valley College

(Photo courtesy of Rock Valley College Athletics / rvcsports.com)