The Spartan volleyball team came home with three wins following two days of games in Illinois over the Sept. 15-16 weekend. The team made stops at Highland Community College in Freeport, IL; Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, IL; and Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL.

On Friday evening, the team beat Highland Community College in a 3-0 match. Leaders for that game included Jada Perkins with 12 kills, 12 digs; Kelcie Shields with eight kills, five digs, two blocks; Hannah Ryan with nine kills, two aces, six digs, one block; Ashley Poster with 27 assists, seven digs; and Ashley Kopplin with 24 digs, three aces.

Saturday, the Spartans woke up to face Oakton Community College, winning again in three, 3-0. Stat highlights for this game included Jada Perkins with 18 kills, 11 digs; Kelcie Shields with 11 kills, two blocks; Hannah Ryan with nine kills, seven digs; Ashley Porter with 31 assists, one ace; and Ashley Kopplin with 15 digs, one ace.

The Spartans ended their weekend of play with a game vs Rock Valley College on Saturday afternoon, taking the match in five, winning 3-2. Game leaders in this match included Jada Perkins with 30 kills, one ace, one block, 24 digs; Kelcie Shields with 20 kills, nine digs, three blocks; Hannah Ryan with 12 kills, 28 digs, three blocks; Ashley Porter with 56 assists, 15 digs; Ashley Kopplin with 30 digs, two aces; and Emily Williams with seven blocks, three digs.

Spartan Head Coach Aleesha Cleaver said the weekend was exciting and fun, partially due to the victories and partially because for four of the student-athletes (Ryan, Porter, Kopplin, and Williams) who are Illinois natives, and Cleaver as a coach, it was a weekend to head home to Illinois and play in front of family and friends.

"Overall, I thought we played well all weekend," vollstated Cleaver. "It's tough to play on the road, but we had so much support from friends and family, it was as if we had a home court advantage 5.5 hours away from campus. There was so much good energy, it was nice for us to come full circle."

In addition, Cleaver was happy with the tenacity her team showed on the road.

"This weekend really tested our mental toughness, which is something we have struggled with all season," Cleaver explained. "We fought back from a 3-8 deficit in the fifth set against Rock Valley to defeat them 15-12. It is a true testament to the girls, their heart, and their growth so far this season."

With these victories under their belts, Cleaver said she is excited to head into more conference play this week. The Spartans face Northeast Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 20, and head to the KCKCC Tournament in Kansas City on Sept. 22-23.