Triangular Sweep for Central Volleyball Team
The Central College volleyball team were solid in a pair of wins Friday night in Minnesota, sweeping Martin Luther College (Minn.) 25-21, 25-16, 25-20 and downing Hamline University (Minn.) 27-29, 25-22, 25-20, 25-14.
In the opener against the Knights, Gracie Pierson had 12 kills on 21 attempts. She also had five service aces. Becca Vala had nine digs and Gracie Daniels had three blocks. Daniels also had six kills. Adisyn Illg had a team-high nine assists.
Against the host Pipers, Natalie Gaszynski had 12 kills and Daniels had 11 more. Amanda Smith had 17 assists and Illg had 16 more. Smith also had five service aces. Vala had 18 digs in the nightcap. As a team, the Dutch had 23 service aces between the two matches.
The Dutch are back in St. Paul on Saturday, going to St. Catherine University (Minn.) for matches against the Wildcats and the University of Wisconsin – Stout.
Road Defeat for Dutch Women’s Tennis Team
Making its first American Rivers Conference road trip of the season, the Central College women’s tennis team was taken down 7-2 by Nebraska Wesleyan University Friday afternoon.
Central (1-2, 0-2 conference) suffered its first loss against the Prairie Wolves (1-0, 1-0 conference) since they joined the American Rivers Conference in 2016. Central’s two points came from a pair of singles players who are both 3-0 on the season. Alex Griggs won 7-5, 6-1 at No. 2 and Ashlynn Brant was a 7-6, 6-1 winner in the No. 6 hole.
Central hits the road again next Friday, traveling to Simpson College for a 3 p.m. match.
Career-Best Gabos Round Lifts Central Men’s Golf Squad
Surging to an early season-low 291, the Central College men’s golf team stands third at the 20-team Carthage (Wis.) Fall Classic Friday.
Playing the par-71 Randall Oaks Golf Club, Kyle Gabos parred his first 17 holes and carded a career-best 72. He’s tied for 10th individually. Just a shot back of Gabos at 2-over-par 73, Jacob Moffett, Harold Dobernecker and Lucas Wendel are All are tied for 18th. National contender Aurora University (Ill.) fired 281 and holds a 2-shot lead over Illinois Wesleyan. Central is a stroke better than Hope College (Mich.), which shot 292.
Central shot 292 in last year’s first round of the 36-hole Carthage tourney but slipped to 302 on the second day en route to a sixth-place finish in a 16-team field.
Central’s Wares Named to Pleasantville Hall of Fame
Record-setting Central College Softball Coach George Wares is among four new inductees in the Pleasantville Community School District Hall of Fame.
Wares, a 1972 Pleasantville graduate and 1976 Central grad, will be joined by former Dutch quarterback Scott Koerselman, a 2000 Central graduate, in this year’s class. It’s the second year for the school district’s hall of fame. Last year’s inaugural class included 2002 Central graduate Chris McCullough, an all-conference receiver for the Dutch football squad and all-American sprinter in men’s track and field.
An induction dinner is set for Saturday, Sept. 24 at Pleasantville High School. The Pleasantville Hall of Fame seeks to honor graduates who have distinguished themselves in life after high school; former students who accomplished extraordinary feats in extracurricular activities; or those who have made significant contributions to the school district over a period of years.
The winningest softball coach in NCAA Division III history, Wares has compiled a 1,199-426-3 (.737) record. He’s piloted Central to four national championships (1988, 1991, 1993, 2003), posting 13 national top-eight finishes and gaining a 30 NCAA Division III tournament berths.
Wares was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. He also spent seven years as girls softball coach at NESCO High School in Zearing, posting a 214-94 record. He was the boys basketball coach there for seven seasons as well and for 11 years at Pella High School, compiling a 259-106 mark.