- Bears open season with 3-2 win over Waubonsee CC
- DMACC also defeats Carl Sandburg CC, Muskegon CC and John A Logan CC
- Indian Hills tops DMACC in three sets
The DMACC volleyball team began the 2025 season successfully with wins over Waubonsee Community College (WCC), Carl Sandburg Community College (CSCC), Muskegon Community College (MCC) and John A Logan Community College (JALCC) in the Opening Weekend Tournament August 22 and 23 at Rockford, Ill.
The Bears, ranked 15th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II preseason poll, then suffered their first loss of the season when Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) handed DMACC a 3-0 loss Aug. 25 at Centerville. IHCC is an NJCAA Division I program and is ranked seventh nationally.
Freshman Kathryn Lukkarinen of Macomb, Ill., had 12 kills and a .345 hitting percentage as the Bears came from two sets down to defeat WCC in their first match in the Opening Weekend Tournament on Aug. 22. WCC took the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-18 before DMACC got the win behind set scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 15-9.
Lukkarinen got her 12 kills from 29 total attacks with just two hitting errors. Sophomores Danica Wrage of Waterloo and Reagan Wheeler of Cedar Falls had seven kills apiece and freshman Brooklyn Lyftogt of Van Meter added six.
The Bears hit .257 in the win, getting 38 kills from 109 attacks with 10 hitting errors.
Sophomores Sydney Anderson of Marshalltown and Riley Starkey of Rockford, Ill., had 18 and 12 assists respectively and Lukkarinen topped DMACC with digs with 16. Sophomore Lauren Sandvold of Cedar Falls added 15 digs and freshman Indy Johnson of Clarion came away with 13.
Wrage led the Bears in blocks with five block assists and freshman freshman Alli Sheldahl of Hubbard had four.
Wheeler and sophomore Emma Liechti of Ankeny had eight kills apiece and Lyftogt added seven as DMACC came away with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-21 win over CSCC in its second match on Aug. 21. The Bears hit .321 with 34 kills from 84 attacks with just seven hitting errors.
Anderson and Starkey had 17 and 11 assists respectively and Sandvold topped DMACC in digs with 12. Johnson and Lukkarinen added eight digs apiece.
Liechti and Lyftoft led the Bears in blocks with three block assists apiece.
Wheeler had 10 kills and Lukkarinen and Lyftogt added eight apiece in DMACC's 25-17, 25-18, 25-23 win over MCC in the Bears' first match on Aug. 23. The win came behind a .316 hitting percentage on 37 kills from 98 attacks with just six hitting errors.
Anderson led the way in assists with 22 and Sandvold had 29 digs with Lukkarinen adding 15 and Johnson getting 14.
Wrage topped the Bears in blocks with three block assists.
Wheeler's eight kills, seven from Liechti and six by Lyftogt led DMACC to a 28-26, 15-25, 25-19, 25-18 win over JALCC in the Bears' last match of the tournament. DMACC hit .248 with 39 kills from 125 attacks with eight hitting errors.
Anderson and Starkey again led DMACC in assists with 16 and 12 respectively and Sandvold led four players in double figures in digs with 34. Lukkarinen finished with 16 digs, Johnson had 11 and Starkey added 10.
Wrage and Sheldahl contributed three block assists apiece.
IHCC handed the Bears their first loss of the season behind a 25-12, 25-23, 25-23 win. Lukkarinen and Lyftoft led DMACC in kills with six apiece and Wrage came away with four.
The Bears hit just .098 with 22 kills from112 attacks and 11 hitting errors.
Anderson had a team-high 11 assists and Starkey added nine. Sandvold and Johnson came away with 15 and 10 digs respectively and Lyftogt, Liechti, Sheldahl and freshman Ramsey Johnston of Chaska, Minn., had one block assists apiece.
The DMACC volleyball team will open the home portion of the schedule against Ellsworth Community College (ECC) Aug. 27. The match will also be the first for both teams in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play and will be the first of the season for ECC.
