Chalk It: Death, Taxes and 30+ Wins at Central Community College
COLUMBUS – Mary Young is beginning her 24th season as head coach of the Central Community College Raiders and she has built the team in Columbus into one of the very best two-year programs in the nation.
In each of the last seven seasons, Central CC has won at least 30 games (averaging 33), has won the NCCAC each of those years, won the Region IX championship each of those years and has finished no worse than 11thplace at the NJCCA national championships in each of those seasons – highlighted by fifth-place finishes in 2014 and 2012.
Last season the Raiders went 36-11 and finished in 9thplace nationally while also finishing second in the nation for team-GPA with a 3.73. Central CC also traditionally has a roster that is 100 percent comprised of in-state players. That’s the case again this season.
“2017 was a great journey for our team … not many teams would have the courage, resolve, and resiliency to continue with all of the adversity (with injuries) we faced. I’m incredibly proud of the student-athletes in our program for how they finished and how they represented themselves, their communities, and Central Community College,” Young said. “Our performance in both the classroom and court showed the tremendous time management skills our student-athletes haveand those skills will definitely sustain them in their future careers and life.
“It was gratifying for our team and fans to be awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy at our NJCAA Division II National Tournament. I can’t say enough the support we received from our parents, families, faculty, staff, and fellow students in our quest in 2017. Our fans are simply the best and it was awesome to see them recognized as part of our success.”
As is always the case in two-year college programs, there are a lot of new faces in 2018. Young said that’s what she loves about her job – the need to be constantly coaching up kids and preparing them to move on to the next level.
“Our team will blossom as the season progresses,” she said. “We have some tremendous athletes in our program with great potential—once they adjust to the college game, we really have a lot of promise.
“We have a bunch of athletes that are raw—we will develop them quickly into solid volleyball players! This is the life of the 2-year college coach. We are always developing and teaching each year and by midseason we will look really different.We look to continue with our strong tradition of Nebraska athletes that will compete for a region title.”
Here is a position-by-position look at Central Community College for 2018.
Setters
Rylee Kwapnioski, 5’7, Fr., Columbus, Neb.
Maddie Davis, 5’7, Soph., Yutan, Neb.
Davis saw action in 42 matches a year ago and had 252 assists (1.79) per set and also had 41 service aces and 296 digs (2.10 per set). Kwapnioski is a freshman from Columbus High.
Pin Hitters
Ali Jones, 5’7, Soph., Eustis, Neb.
Jacie Laetsch, 5’7, Soph., Chambers, Neb.
Jordan Korte, 5’11, Soph., Columbus, Neb.
Maddie Walkowiak, 5’7, Fr., Spalding, Neb.
Katelynn Halstead, 5’7, Fr., Marquette, Neb.
Sheridan Holcomb, 5’10, Soph., Arcida, Neb.
Abbe Mancuso, 5’10, Fr., Papillion, Neb.
Taylor Kemper, 5’10, Soph., Genoa, Neb.
Lydia Permenter, 5’9, Fr., Ralston, Neb.
Laetsch is a returning starter for the Raiders and was an All-Region, All-Conference selection and also made the NJCCA Division II All-Tournament team a year ago. She had 435 kills (2.49 per set) and 48 ace serves to go along with 545 digs (3.11 per set) and 48 total blocks. Korte played in all 47 matches a year ago and had 179 kills (1.05 per set), 96 assists, 164 digs and was second on the team in total blocks with 100 on the right side. Walkowiak is an incredible athlete and will find her way to the court with her athleticism and competitiveness. Permenter was on Ralston’s state-tournament team a year ago and provides a good presence on the right side. Mancuso has shown great promise and Halstead is a solid athlete with a wicked vertical and likely will be a force as the season progresses
Middles
Shania Borchers, 6’0, Fr., Columbus, Neb.
Susie Vavra, 5’11, Fr., Ord, Neb.
Borchers, from Columbus Scotus, has a tremendous upside and the potential to be a force in the middle for the Raiders. Vavra was a key part of Ord’s run to the state tournament last year and had 163 kills and 104 total blocks for the Chants.
Liberos/DS
Mallory Gotschall, 5’4, Fr., Columbus, Neb.
Columbus Lakeview always seems to deliver a steady pipeline of players into the college ranks and Gotschall is another product of that system. She is recovering from knee surgery but should be up to speed and a force in the back row soon. She had 515 digs and 666 serve receptions last season.
