ROCKFORD, Ill. – Now that's how you start a season! Macomb Volleyball served up a pair of sweeps on day one of the Opening Weekend Tournament (OWT), cruising past Elgin Community College by a 3-0 tally before defeating Black Hawk College in three sets. The OWT is played annually at the UW Health Sports Factory in Rockford, Ill., and is host to over 80 NJCAA teams this weekend (Aug. 22-24).
MATCH ONE: Macomb 3, Elgin 0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-10)
The Monarchs started the 2025 campaign with a quick 3-0 victory over Elgin behind a staggering 24 aces.
Kaley Eller led the way with a career-high six aces and was followed by
Brooke Baker,
Kara Beeker and
Korin Hutton with four each, while
Sophia Kulaga and
Jordan Pflaum checked in with three apiece. The strong work in the service department, combined with an efficient .340 team hitting percentage, led the Monarchs to the season-opening win.
Caryss Terry paced the action at the net with five kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Eller recorded four kills via a .571 hitting percentage, while Beeker, Hutton and Plfaum accounted for three kills each. Hutton, the team's starting setter with 13 assists, was a perfect 1.000 in the hitting percentage department.
MATCH TWO: Macomb 3, Black Hawk 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-21)
A trio of close sets all went in favor of the Blue & White as the Monarchs closed the day with a perfect 2-0 record following a sweep of Black Hawk.
Kara Beeker notched a team-best eight kills in Friday's finale, while
Kaley Eller,
Jordan Pflaum and
Caryss Terry slammed down seven hills each. Pflaum was balanced throughout as the sophomore added seven digs and a career-high six aces in the three-set triumph.
Sophia Kulaga racked up 15 digs, one shy of her career-best mark, to pace a steady defense that also featured seven digs out of
Brooke Baker.
Korin Hutton assisted on 27 of the team's 32 kills, while the combination of Baker and Beeker added three aces each to round out the stat leaders against Black Hawk.
UP NEXT: OWT Day Two
Day two of the OWT features two more matches for the Monarchs with the first coming at 2:15 p.m. CT against Highland Community College and the latter at 4:15 p.m. CT opposite Southeastern Community College.
