By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Columbus, OH---The No. 9-ranked Express opened their season in dominating fashion in the Central Ohio Invitational this weekend without dropping a set in five wins.
On Friday, the Express started their two-day stretch with three wins over Iowa Central C.C. (25-21, 25-12, 25-20), Schoolcraft College (25-13, 25-20, 25-13), and No. 25-ranked Genesee C.C. (25-13, 25-7, 25-10).
Against Iowa Central, three players led the Express in kills with seven - Alyssa Meis (Genoa/Curtice, Ohio), Emily Crowell (Parkway/Rockford, Ohio) and Allison Seifker (Monroeville/Norwalk, Ohio). Ellie Comes (Sylvania Southview/Toledo, Ohio) led the way with digs as she had 20, and Erin Schatzle (Monroe/Monroe, Mich.) led the team with 16 assists.
Against Schoolcraft, Brittany Egbert (Hopewell-Loudon/Fostoria, Ohio) led the team with nine kills, while Julia Haupricht (Central Catholic/Toledo, Ohio) added seven of her own. Comes, once again, led the team in digs with 19, and Schatzle led with 17 assists.
Against No. 25-ranked Genesee, Egbert smashed 10 kills, while Whitney Hoodlebrink (Eastwood/Pemberville, Ohio) and Seifker each added six. For the third straight match, Comes led in digs with 14, and Molly Hilfinger (Anthony Wayne/Whitehouse, Ohio) had a team-leading 21 assists with three aces.
On Saturday, the Express breezed in their first match and faced a test in the second match. However, each ended in the same result - a three set victory.
In their first match, Owens defeated St. Clair County C.C. 25-7, 25-9, 25-16. Following that, they defeated Macomb 25-21, 25-17, 25-19.
Leaders against Macomb were: Crowell with two aces, Egbert with 12 kills, Haupricht with nine kills, Schatzle with 25 assists, and Comes with 13 digs. As a team, Owens had a hitting efficiency of .315 against Macomb.
For the weekend, Egbert stood out statistically with 46 kills, 14 assists and two solo blocks. Haupricht added 35 kills. Hoodlebrink had 27 kills, Comes had 80 digs, and Schatzle had 30 digs - all are weekend totals. As a team, the Express hit .335 over that stretch.
The next action for the Express will be Tuesday in the Oakland C.C. Quad match at 5 p.m. in Waterford, Mich. Owens will take on Oakland C.C. and Muskegon C.C.