Parkland College

Sophomore setter Melanie Moore (Champaign Centennial) and freshman hitter Morgan Martells (Sterling) have been named NJCAA D-2 Volleyball All-Americans. Moore was a 1st Team selection while Martells earned 2nd team recognition. In addition, to her NJCAA honors. Moore was also named a 2nd Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The AVCA team is comprised of two-year college players from the three NJCAA Divisions as well as two-year programs in California and Washington, which are not part of the NJCAA. Moore was one of only four NJCAA D-2 players to be selected.

This season, the pair of All-Americans helped lead the Cobras to a 41-8 record, a 15th straight conference title, and a school record fourth consecutive trip to Nationals where the Cobras rebounded from an opening round loss to go 3-1 and finish in 9th place. Moore finished with 1672 assists, good enough to place her in the top five nationally for total assists and assists per set (9.78). Early she had been named M-WAC and Region 24 Player of the Year and was a First Team selection for both.

Martells burst on the scene this season as one of the many impressive freshman for the Cobras. The 6'2" middle-hitter was selected First Team All-Region and all M-WAC and was the conference Co-Freshman of the Year. She led the team in kills (521), Hitting efficiency (38.1%), and blocks (176). Parkland also had two All-Americans last season when sophomores Alexis Braghini and Susie Jean earned 1st and 2nd team honors as well.

Freshman MH Shelby Geers (Saint Joe-Ogden) was named to the All-Tournament team at the recently completed NJCAA D-2 National Tournament for her solid all-around play. Geers recorded 58 kills for the Cobras who went 3-1 and finished in 9th place.

All-Tournament Team
Shelby Geers-Parkland
Hannah Geelhoed, Grand Rapids
Xiao Liang, Iowa Lakes
Mackenzie Johnson, Kishwaukee College
Mel Church, MCC Longview
Katie Beiermann, Central, Neb.
Malorie Kelley, Phoenix College
Lauren Maxwell, Oakland
Ashley Fields, Oakland
Danika Maggard, Cowley College
Martyna Gluchowicz, Cowley College

Tournament MVP
Molley Scanlon, Cowley College

Coach of the Tournament
Jenifer Bahner, Cowley College

In the end, it wasn't the result they had hoped for, but the Parkland Volleyball team ended on a high note rebounding from a disappointing opening round loss to win their final three matches and come home with the consolation title and a 9th place finish at the NJCAA D-2 National Tournament.

One day after knocking off defending National Champion Pasco-Hernando, Fl, and the team with the most wins (45) Iowa Central, the Cobras avenged an early season loss and beat last year's runner-up and pre-season #1 Johnson County 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 25-21, and 25-16.)

Playing with a sense of determination, focus, and confidence PC controlled the match, especially dominating the Cavaliers at the net. PC was led offensively by freshmen Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) and Morgan Martells (Sterling) who each had 15 kills. Setter Melanie Moore (Centennial) had a double-double with 40 assists and 11 kills, and Megan Scharnett (Centennial) had 22 digs. Along with Moore, sophomores Devin Houser (Blue Ridge) with 13 digs and Nechelle Veal (Thornton Fractional North) with 4 blocks finished their Parkland career in style with a 9th place finish and a final record of 41-8.

Special congratulations go out to the three sophomores (Moore, Houser, and Veal) have amassed a two-year record of 80-20, two undefeated conference championships, two regional championships and two national tournament places. In other matches on Saturday, #1 Cowley County won their first NJCAA title beating Oakland CC 3-1. Kishwaukee knocked off Phoenix 3-1 for 3rd place, Iowa Lakes blanked Central CC of Nebraska 3-0 for 5th, and Grand Rapids beat MCC-Longview 3-1 to take 7th.

Final Standings

1. Cowley Co. Ks.
2. Oakland CC MI
3. Kishwaukee
4. Phoenix
5. Iowa Lakes
6. Central Nebraska
7. Grand Rapids
8. MCC-Longview
9. Parkland
10. Johnson County
11. Illinois Central and Iowa Central
13. Genesee, Hagerstown, Pasco-Hernando, and Prairie State

In a lose-and-done situation for the rest of the tournament, the Parkland Cobras volleyball team needed to start the day with a fresh perspective to take on defending national champion Pasco-Hernando College (Florida). The hard-hitting Conquistadores looked tough in warm-ups, but the Cobras did indeed return to their winning ways defeating PHCC 3-1; 25-21, 25-18, 13-25, 25-18. Shelby Geers led the offensive effort with 15 kills and 9 big blocks. Nechelle Veal partnered up with Geers at the net and had 8 blocks of her own. Melanie Moore had 33 assists, and Megan Scharnett had 19 digs and Devin Houser 15.

In the next match, Parkland took on (45-7) Iowa Central. The Tritons and Cobras faced off earlier this season when Parkland defeated them in 5 tough sets. Parkland knew the Iowa Central game plan and despite tough opposition, the Cobras executed and won 3-0; 26-24, 28-26, 25-18. The middles for Parkland led the offense with Morgan Martells pounding 12 kills and Geers notching 11. Martells, Geers and Veal again led the blocking effort with 9, 7 and 6 blocks, respectively. Moore had 30 assists, and three Cobras had big numbers defensively with Scharnett getting 20 digs, Dana Belcher digging 19 and Jessica Galotta with 18 digs.

The Cobras (40-8) play Johnson County CC (Kansas) in their final match tomorrow. JCCC knocked out region colleague ICC in their final match today. PC lost a heart breaking match to JCCC 23-25, 23-25, 24-26 back in early September.  

The Parkland Cobras volleyball team took on Missouri winner MCC-Longview in the first round of the NJCAA tournament in Toledo, Ohio. After a quick start in set 1, the hard-hitting Shannon Boone went down with an ankle injury which set the tone for an up-and-down match in which the Cobras fell short in 5 tough sets - 25-18, 20-25, 25-15, 22-25, 13-15. Boone is doubtful for Friday's match.

Freshman Shelby Geers turned in an outstanding individual performance leading the team with 17 kills. Melanie Moore tied her season high with 54 assists and Megan Scharnett turned in another solid defensive effort with 28 digs.

The defending champion Pasco-Hernando College (Florida) also fell victim to the upset bug, and PSCC and Parkland will face off in a difficult consolation bracket match tomorrow at noon. Parkland would play again at 4:30 on Friday with a win at noon or would be eliminated with a loss.

The Parkland College Volleyball team will find out if four is their lucky number as they have earned the #4 seed for this year's NJCAA National Tournament. PC is making their fourth consecutive trip, placing 3rd in both 2008 and 2009 and 13th last season.

The Cobras (38-7) will open the tournament at 3:00 on Thursday November 17 against Metropolitan Community College-Longview from Kansas City, Mo. The Lancers are (20-13) upsetting East Central Mo. 3-2 for the Region 16 title. The two teams did not meet this season but did meet back in 2009 when the Cobras won two tightly played matches, winning each time by the score of 3-1.

Parkland is in the same part of the bracket as #5 seed and defending National Champions Pasco-Hernando CC FL.#(31-9) and #12 Phoenix College AZ. PC second match would be against one of those two teams.

This year's finals return to Owens CC in Toledo, Ohio for the first time since 2002 after being held at the Wisconsin Dells for the last three championships.

Thursday November 17
9:00 am #3 Iowa Lakes IA. (31-8) vs #14 Hagerstown, MD.(27-7)
#6 Kishwaukee IL.(33-9) vs #11 Johnson County KS. (23-11)
11:00 am #2 Oakland CC MI. (38-3) vs #15 Prairie State IL. (27-10)
#7 Illinois Central (28-11) vs #10 Grand Rapids MI. (31-5)
1:00 pm #1 Cowley County KS. (33-2) vs #16 Genessee CC NY. (22-19)
#8 Central CC NE. (30-9) vs #9 Iowa Central CC (44-6)
3:00 #4 Parkland (38-7) vs #13 MCC-Longview MO. (20-13)
#5 Pasco-Hernando FL. (31-9) vs #12 Phoenix College AZ. (19-8)

Parkland would play again at 7:30 Thursday with a win in opening match or at Noon on Friday with a defeat.

The Parkland College Volleyball team, fresh off their 4th consecutive Region 24 title and a 15th straight M-WAC championship, has swept many of the awards given out by both groups.

Big winners include sophomore setter Melanie Moore, freshman hitter Morgan Martells, and PC Head Coach Cliff Hastings. Moore, a Centennial graduate, earned top honors as she was selected as both the M-WAC and Region 24 Player of the Year. Moore emerged this season as one of the top setters in NJCAA D-2 currently standing 2nd in total assists and 7th in assists per set. She also lead the Cobras is serving with 58 services aces.

Martells (Sterling HS), also earned First Team All-Region and M-WAC, and was selected as the Co-Freshman of the Year along with Emily Orrick of Lincoln Land. She leads PC with 468 kills and 156 blocks this season and is 2nd in hitting efficiency.

Third year Coach Cliff Hastings earned Coach of the Year honors in leading the Cobras to M-WAC and Region 24 titles. Hastings team is 38-7 so far this season and he has compiled a record of 119-25 in his tenure at PC.

Four more Parkland players also earned recognition. Sophomore Nechelle Veal (TF North) and freshman Shannon Boone (Shelbyville HS) both were named 2nd Team All-Region and All-MWAC. Veal has been a key player in the Cobra success this year. After seeing only limited playing time as a freshman, Veal has been an important front row player for the Cobras, tying Martells for the team lead with 156 blocks. Boone has become an increasingly important part of the PC attack and that was never more true this past weekend as she was dominant during the Region 24 finals. She racked up 40 kills in the two matches including a season high 24 against ICC in the finals.

And finally, a pair of freshman, Shelby Geers (SJ-O HS) and Megan Scharnett (Centennial) were named Honorable Mention All-Region. Scharnett leads the Cobras with 698 digs, nearly 4.6 per set while Geers, who missed the first 17 games of the season due to a foot injury, has bounced back to lead the team in hitting efficiency, and is in the top three in kills and blocks.

Parkland will find out tomorrow where they are seeded and who their opponent will be for the NJCAA D-2 National Tournament which will take place November 17-19 at Owens CC in Toledo, Ohio.

The Parkland Volleyball team hosted Danville Area CC on Wednesday evening in the first round of the Region 24 Tournament. Parkland defeated DACC earlier in the season 3-0, and the Cobras matched that effort again wiining this time by the scores of 25-9, 25-19, 25-17.

Three Cobra freshmen led the offensive output with Morgan Martells (Sterling), Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) and Shannon Boone (Shelbyville) pounding 14, 10 and 9 kills, respectively. These three freshmen teamed up with sophomore setter Melanie Moore (Centennial) to each register 3 blocks each. Moore ran the offensive output effectively, notching 35 assists on the evening. Defensively, a pair of freshmen, Megan Scharnett
(Centennial) and Jessica Galotta (Mother McAuley), dug up 30 balls between them (18 for Scharnett, & 12 for Galotta).

With the victory, the Cobras improve to 36-7 on the season and advance to the 4-team
Regional semifinals and finals at Lewis & Clark CC in Godfrey, IL this weekend. The Cobras will open with the host school at Noon on Saturday. The Cobras beat the Blazers in a hard fought four-set match earlier this season.

Saturday's schedule:
Game 1: 12pm #1 Parkland (36-7) vs. #5 Lewis & Clark (22-18)
Game 2 2pm #2 ICC (26-10) vs. #3 Lincoln Land (33-11)
Game 3: 5pm Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 (winner is District J Champ)

Sunday schedule:

Game 4: 12:00 Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 5: 3:00 Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 5 (winner is District K Champ)

District winners advance to NJCAA D-2 Nationals November 17-19 @ Owens CC in Toledo, Ohio.

The #5 ranked Parkland Cobra Volleyball team will host Danville Area CC on Wednesday November 2nd at 6:00 in the Quarterfinals of the Region 24 Tournament. A victory would move the Cobras (35-7) into the Final Four to be held November 5-6 at Lewis and Clark CC. #8 Illinois Central (25-10) and #18 Lincoln Land (29-11) are the other ranked teams in the field.

Region 24 Schedule:

Wednesday November 2 6:00 (games at highest seeds)

Gm 1: #8 Danville Area @ #1 Parkland
Gm 2: #5 Lewis and Clark @ #4 Rend Lake
Gm 3: #7 SWIC @ #2 ICC
Gm 4: #6 Lincoln College @ #3 Lincoln Land

Saturday November 5 @ Lewis and Clark

Gm 5: 12:00 Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Gm 6: 2:00 Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Gm 7: 5:00 Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6 (winner advances to Nationals)

Sunday November 6 @ Lewis and Clark

Gm 8: 12:00 Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 6
Gm 9: 3:00 Winner Game 8 vs Loser Game 7 (winner advances to Nationals)

The #3 ranked Parkland Cobras volleyball team traveled to the Wisconsin Dells for a four-match tournament on Friday and
Saturday. Although the Cobras tripped up against the #2 ranked team in the country, Parkland bounced back with three straight wins including a 5-set thriller over #7 Kishwaukee, ending the Cougars 20 match winning streak.

Several great statistical efforts were turned in over the weekend. In three of the four matches, a duo of freshmen led the
offense and defense with Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) leading the team in kills and Megan Scharnett (Centennial) leading the team in digs. Over the four matches, Geers had 42 kills while co-freshmen Morgan Martells (Sterling) had 33 and Shannon Boone (Shelbyville) had 27. Melanie Moore (Centennial) had 122 assists, and Scharnett had 83
digs on the weekend.

In the match against Kishwaukee, Moore had 44 assists distributing to three freshmen with double-digit kills (Geers - 13, Boone -11, Martells -10). Scharnett notched 33 digs while Geers and Nechelle Veal (Thornton Fractional North) each had 5 blocks.

Parkland improves to 33-5 on the season and has a week off to focus on the final two weeks of the regular season. The Cobras travel to Peoria this coming weekend for four matches including three matches vs. #7 Kishwaukee, #8 Illinois Central, and #15 East Central, Mo.

The #3 ranked Parkland Cobras hosted #18 Lincoln Land CC Wednesday as the Cobras celebrated their three sophomore players, Devin Houser (Blue Ridge), Melanie Moore (Centennial) and Nechelle Veal (Thornton Fractional North) on sophomore night. The Cobras celebrated in style with a 3-0 victory over the Loggers in scores of 25-16, 25-17, 25-14.

The sophomores led the Cobras well with Moore notching 32 assists and 6 digs. Houser had 10 digs, and Nechelle Veal had 3 kills and 2 blocks on the evening. A trio of freshmen led the offense with Morgan Martells (Sterling), ShannonBoone(Shelbyville) and Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) registering 13, 10 and 8 killsrespectively. Jessica Galotta (Mother McAuley) led the defensive effort overall with 18 digs.

The Cobras clinch their 15th straight M-WAC conference championship with the victory, improving to 30-4 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Lincoln Land drops to 23-11 overall and 3-1 in the conference with the defeat. Parkland also clinched the #1 seed for the Region 24 Tournament which will begin the first week in November. PC travels to the Wisconsin Dells this weekend for four matches including matches against #2 Oakland CC (Michigan) and #7 Kishwaukee CC (Illinois).

The #4 Parkland Cobras volleyball team concluded the second day of the DMACC tournament with another pair of wins and was the only team of the 8 teams in attendance to escape the weekend with an unblemished record.

In the 8am match, Parkland faced off with a 20-member team from Iowa Central CC. The Tritons, ranked #15 in the nation, came out with a 2-1 lead, but the Cobras fought back to take the match 3-2 --- 33-31, 23-25, 15-25, 25-16, 15-11, ending the Tritons 23 match winning streak. Melanie Moore (Centennial) registered a career high 50 assists, and two other Cobras notched career highs in kills as Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) and Shannon Boone (Shelbyville) had 18 and 16 kills, respectively. Nechelle Veal (Thornton Fractional North) and Geers led the team in blocks with 5 each, and Megan Scharnett (Centennial) had 20 digs.

After the tough 5-set match, Parkland faced another tough test in host #16 Des Moines Area CC. DMACC jumped out to a early 1-0 set lead, but the Cobras regrouped and took the next three winning 3-1 with scores of 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-15. Moore again led the
offense well with 41 assists. Three Cobras had double-digit kills with Morgan Martells (Sterling) leading with the way with 13, and Boone & Geers each had 10. Scharnett had her best day as a Cobra playing outstanding defense which often allowed Moore and the hitters
to quickly convert defense to offense as Scharnett notched a career high 30 digs in the four-set match giving her 50 on the day.

The #4 Cobras (29-4) have now won 15 straight ahead of an M-WAC showdown on Wednesday night against Lincoln Land. PC can clinch the title with a win over the #20 Loggers. A victory would also earn PC the #1 seed in the Region 24 tournament which gets underway the first weekend in November.

The #4 ranked Parkland Cobras traveled to Danville on Wednesday evening to take on DACC in an M-WAC and Region 24 match-up. Parkland found their rhythm early and flexed their offensive muscle taking advantage of their large height difference defeating DACC 3-0 by the scores of 25-14, 25-11,and 25-23.

Sophomore setter Melanie Moore (Centennial) registered 30 assists setting up co-freshmen kill leaders Morgan Martells (Sterling) and Shannon Boone (Shelbyville) who notched 11 and 8 kills, respectively. Freshmen Dana Belcher (Warrensburg-Latham) dug up 13 balls, and classmate Megan Scharnett (Centennial) had 10 digs of her own.Scharnett and Boone led an entire solid team effort from the service line with 3 aces each. The team overall had 10 aces on the evening.

With the win Parkland improves to 25-4 overall and 3-0 in the M-WAC while DACC drops to (7-18 0-5). Parkland
leaves for Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday for a 4-match tournament this weekend. The Cobras will face Marshalltown and D-1 Indian Hills on Friday before going up against a pair of ranked foes in #15 Iowa Central and #15 Des Moines Area CC on Saturday.

Fresh off an impressive 7-0 weekend which included wins over ranked foes Illinois Central and Owens, the Parkland College Volleyball team jumped eight spots to #4 in the latest NJCAA D-2 Volleyball Poll. The ranking equals the Cobras previous high this season which was achieved back on September 7.

The Cobras (23-4) have a well deserved light week with just one match, tonight at 6:00 in Champaign against the Millikin University JV. Parkland is currently sporting a nine-match winning streak and is (6-3) against teams currently ranked in the top #20. The Cobras have plenty of challenges remaining with 8 matches still to be played against ranked opponents.

The #12 PC Volleyball team finished off a nearly perfect weekend Sunday as they swept past Rend Lake and Macomb CC 3-0 to cap a perfect 7-0 record since play began Thursday night. On Sunday, PC defeated the Warriors 25-12, 25-11, and 25-17 before beating Macomb 25-12, 25-15, and 25-22. The Cobras did not lose a game the entire weekend going a perfect 21-0 and only gave up 20 or more points only seven times.

The Cobras (23-4) run their winning streak to nine matches and will have just one match this week, when they host the Millikin University JV at 6:00 on Wednesday.

On Friday, Parkland Volleyball Coach earned his 100th win, defeating two opponents including #8 Illinois Central. On Saturday, Hastings' Cobras celebrated his birthday with an impressive 3-0 win over #4 Owens CC. The loss, ended the Express winning streak at 18, as Owens falls to (23-2) on the season and PC improves to (21-4).

In the Saturday win over Owens, PC jumped out to an early lead and never looked back cruising to the convincing 25-20, 25-19, 25-17 win. The Cobras were understandably not as sharp in their second match but still had more than enough to easily knock off McHenry CC 25-21, 25-11, and 25-21.

PC is a perfect 4-0 winning all 12 games so far in the tourney with two matches left to play. The Cobras will take on Region 24 foe Rend Lake at 10:00 on Sunday before wrapping up play with an 11:45 match against Macomb CC MI.

The #12 Parkland College Volleyball team began tournament play this afternoon to get things underway at the PC Invitational. PC raced out to an early lead and overwhelmed Region 24 rival #8 Illinois Central College winning 3-0 by the impressive scores of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-14. Showcasing a quicker tempo offense, Melanie Moore ran things to perfection handing out 32 assists while notching 6 kills of her own. Freshman middle hitters Shelby Geers and Morgan Martells each knocked down 10 kills while Dana Belcher and Shannon Boone each had 7. Megan Scharnett and Devin Houser had standout defensive efforts with 14 and 11 digs respectively.

In their second match of the day, PC picked up where they left off and won 3-0 over another Region 24 foe, Southwestern Illinois College by the scores of 25-14, 25-20, and 25-9. Moore again averaged more than 10 assists per game picking up 30 while Martells and Geers paced the attack with 10 and 9 kills each. The Cobras had 11 service aces in the match and were solid at the net as Nechelle Veal had 5 blocks while Geers, Martels, and Boone each had 4.

The victories move PC to 19-4 on the year and helped Head Coach Cliff Hastings earn his 100th win at the helm of the Cobras. Coach Hastings is now (100-22) in his two plus years at Parkland. The Invite continues with 14 more matches on Saturday highlighted by Parkland's 4:00 showdown with #4 Owens CC (21-1). PC will face McHenry CC immediately after that match.

The #12 Cobras hosted Vincennes University on Thursday night, for the first of seven
matches over the next four days, and the Cobras did a great job of shaking off a recent slump defeating a solid Vincennes team 3-0 --- 25-18, 25-22, 25-20.

Sophomore setter Melanie Moore (Centennial) dished out 34 assists while also serving 3 aces. Freshmen middle hitters Shelby Geers (St. Joseph-Ogden) and Morgan Martells (Sterling) led the offense with 11 kills each, and three players had double-digit digs (Megan Scharnett, Dana Belcher and Devin Houser) notching 15, 13, and 11
respectively. Nechelle Veal (Thornton Fractional North) and Geers led the block with 3 each.

The win pushes Parkland's record to 17-4 while Vincennes drops to 13-7 on the season. Parkland faces #8 ICC at 12:45pm and SWIC at 4:15pm on Friday at the Parkland Invitational.

The #8 Parkland Cobras traveled to Kankakee to play in a four-team round robin tournament Saturday in which the Cobras finished 1st with a 2-1 record defeating the other 2-1 team (Muskegon) head-to-head, to earn the title.

Things didn't start out so well for the Cobras' as they lost their first match of the day in a closely contested match against the host Cavaliers. KCC avenged a loss earlier this season to the Cobras defeating Parkland 25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 14-25, and 15-10.

However, Parkland showed a lot of heart bouncing back with a solid victory over #20 Muskegon CC (Michigan) 25-13, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13. And in the final match, Parkland defeated the JV team from Judson College 25-11, 25-17, 25-15. PC and Muskegon both went 2-1 on the day while KCC and Judson each went 1-2.

For the tournament, Melanie Moore (Centennial) recorded 113 assists setting up kill leader Morgan Martells (Sterling) for 46 kills. Jessica Galotta (Mother McAuley) had 9 service aces and Megan Scharnett (Centennial) had 51 digs in the three matches.

Parkland's record stands at 16-4 on the season and the Cobras will play 7 matches at home this week in less than a 64 hour period. It will all start on Thursday night when the Cobras face Vincennes starting at 6:00. PC will also go up against arch rival Illinois Central at 12:45 Friday afternoon, in their opening game of the Parkland College Volleyball Invitational. PC will also face Southwestern Illinois College, John A Logan, McHenry, Rend Lake, and Macomb, MI. in the three day event featuring 14 teams from five different states.