No. 20 Sandburg Sweeps BHC for 1st Repeat Arrowhead Title in 32 Years
Aaron Frey
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 8:51 PM
Athletics
Moline, IL
Needing a win to clinch its second straight Arrowhead Conference title, the 20th-ranked Carl Sandburg College volleyball team put together a dominant performance against Black Hawk on Tuesday night, sweeping the Braves 25-19, 25-17, 25-8.
It’s the eighth conference championship and first repeat Arrowhead title for the Chargers (31-11, 9-1) since winning won four in a row from 1984-87. Sandburg shares the conference crown with Sauk Valley, which swept Illinois Valley on Tuesday.
“To do something that hadn’t been done here in 32 years is an incredible accomplishment for this group,” Sandburg coach Todd Winkler said. “We had one bump in the road a couple weeks ago, but for them to bounce back and finish it off the way they did tonight was pretty special.”
The Chargers hit .403 in their regular season finale, highlighted by sophomore middle Peyton Bowman (Sciota, Ill./West Prairie), who put down a match-high 19 kills on 23 attempts and hit .783. Bowman also had 2½ blocks to lead Sandburg in that category.
The Chargers took control of the first set with a 6-0 run to go up 15-10 behind the serve of sophomore libero Emily Bloomer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington), who had two of her team-leading three aces during that stretch.
After Black Hawk (15-15, 6-4) won three straight points in the second to get within 16-14, Sandburg pulled away by rattling off another six-point run, which included a block from sophomore Julia Vosburgh (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock).
The Chargers dominated the third, racing to a 9-1 lead and using yet another 6-0 run to go up 22-7, setting the stage for their championship celebration.
Sophomore outside hitter Mallory Flynn (Alexis, Ill./United) picked up a team-high 13 digs for the Chargers, and sophomore setter Cora Vyhnanek led the squad with 26 assists. Sophomore Tearaney Eads (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) added six assists and seven digs for Sandburg.
UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
The Chargers will learn their Region IV tournament quarterfinal opponent this weekend before beginning the quest for their third straight region championship Nov. 9.
Carl Sandburg College volleyball players celebrate after winning the third set over Black Hawk on Tuesday night in Moline. The victory gives the Chargers the Arrowhead Conference title for the second straight year. The last repeat title for the team happened in 1987.
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