The Allen Community College Red Devils will not let Wednesday’s loss to rival Neosho County linger for long with their entry in this weekend’s Triton Invitational Volleyball Tournament.
Feeling a bit dejected following their ejection from the NJCAA top 25 after losses to ranked programs such as Highland and most recently the Neosho Panthers, Allen has an opportunity to prove it belongs with some of the nation’s elite programs.
“I thought we performed pretty well. We had a few injuries and our setter was out,” Allen coach Maria Aikens said. “Our middle was out with a concussion protocol, so we had a lot of girls who had to shift in and make adjustments early on. They tried to make the best of what they could and what they could control.”
Wednesday, the Red Devils nearly took the 16th-ranked Panthers to five sets.
After dropping the first set 25-18, Allen rallied in the second. A kill by freshman outside hitter Lauren Brummet set up match point, then a kill by freshman outside hitter Baylee Belt gave Allen the set 25-23 — the Red Devils’ only win of the evening.
“We gave them a good fight, but it was the little things when it came down to it,” Aikens said. “They have a good team. I was proud. We executed where we needed to and if we clean some stuff up maybe it would have gone in a different direction.”
Neosho went on to take the next two sets 25-22 and 25-21. With the loss, Allen falls to 16-8 and 4-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. They face Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Central Community College, North Iowa Area Community College and North Dakota State College of Science in pool play and may see a few familiar faces if the Red Devils advance.
“That was a big game for us, but we didn’t execute where we needed to,” Aikens said. “We learn from it, and hopefully we have everybody back healthy and get on the road tomorrow for a tough tournament in Iowa. Kirkwood, the No. 1 who beat Cowley will be there. Cowley will be there, KCKCC will be there. It’s going to be a battle. It’s almost like a postseason tournament.”
