East Peoria, Ill. - The calendar hasn't quite turned to November just yet, and that gives enough time for some quality regular season matches to get underway. On Friday night, the ninth-ranked ICC volleyball team (29-10) played host to the #4 Iowa Central Tritons (28-5), a team that had bested the Cougars earlier this season and recently became part of a three-way tie for the ICCAC volleyball title. This go-around, it was ICC's turn. It was a hotly contested match from first serve to match point, but the Cougars would take it, taking down the nation's fourth-ranked team, 3-1. 

The Cougars finish the regular season with 29 wins, a nine-match win streak, and an 11-1 home record. They now turn the page to the opportunity to host the District Central B Tournament next Saturday at Ramsey Gym. 

#9 ICC COUGARS 3, #4 IOWA CENTRAL 1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-18, 25-18)
Kills | Emily Allison (12), Makenzie Pflederer (11)
Assists | Shelby Emich (37)
Digs | Emily Cronkhite (22), Hannah Tellor (16), Makenzie Pflederer (16), Shelby Emich (10)
Blocks | Kaitlyn Baumann (5), Shelby Emich (3), Emily Allison (3)
Aces | Hannah Tellor (6), Bella Porritt (3), Makenzie Pflederer (3)

THANK YOU SOPHOMORES - ICC CELEBRATES SOPHOMORE NIGHT
Before Friday's match, ICC took the time to honor its nine sophomores. Below is some information on that group. 

#5, Avery Urbanski (LaSalle-Peru HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Biology
- Goals to become an Optometrist
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be graduated, working as an eye doctor, and living in Tennessee

#8, Emily Cronkhite (Metamora HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Biology
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to have completed or be in a graduate program for genetic counseling

#10, Emily Allison (Rock Island HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Nursing
- Plans after ICC are to play volleyball and continue her academic career at a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be traveling the country as a travel nurse

#13, Sophie Adams (Metamora HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Child Life Studies
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be working at a hospital as a certified child life specialist somewhere close to home

#14, Hannah Tellor (Metamora HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Biology
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be attending medical school

#15, Jenna Ochs (Newton HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Social Work
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be a successful social worker and be living back in her hometown

#16, Emma Langan (Metamora HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Special Education
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she wants to be a behavior disorder teacher somewhere in the area

#17, Kaitlyn Baumann (Morton HS)
- Pursuing a degree in English
- Plans after ICC are to attend a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she would like to be working in book editing and publishing, wherever that takes her

#18, Amber Brawley (Princeville HS)
- Pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering
- Plans after ICC are to continue her volleyball and academic careers at a four-year university (TBD)
- In five years, she sees herself working as a design engineer, working on large equipment or automotives

SHE SAID IT - QUOTES FROM COACH TRACY HEFFREN
On what she thought happened in the 2nd set they dropped
"That second set, we go to the other side, and everyone jokes that that's the bad side for us, and we don't ever play well over there, but I didn't think we played awful. I think we just had too many errors and we were kind of hesitant and not quite as aggressive as we were in the first set."

On the ability of Iowa Central to counter the ICC attack
"They did a very good job blocking. So we had to rely on our outsides, and it showed in the stats."

On how important it was to still treat this match as a big one, despite the postseason being set
"That's where we said, before we started the fourth set, that the last two weeks, we talked about them being very important and challenging. They (the grouping of opponents) did a good job preparing us for the postseason. We're starting to peak and we're doing the little things right."

On how pleased she is with the team after going undefeated in the crucial, high-quality, late-season stretch
"I'm very proud of how they've done. We started really eliminating our errors, and that was the biggest thing. We had so many back-to-back errors."

On how to balance the momentum the team has with turning the page to the postseason
"I said that we have two weeks of practice coming up ahead of us. We just have to keep focused and our next job is our district. Once we figure out who's coming here to play, we'll get prepared for them and start watching film. We can't look past anybody at this stage."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2023 District "Central B" Semifinal
vs. Metropolitan (KS) or East Central Missouri*
Saturday, November 4th - 12:00 PM
@ Ramsey Gym - East Peoria, Illinois
Watch Live (YouTube)