Owens volleyball loses, claims 4th-place finish in national tournament

Owens lost against Cowley County (Kan.) Community College, seen here, Friday and dropped the consolation match to Parkland College on Saturday. The fourth-place finish in the national tournament was the best Owens had done since moving to Division II.

The Owens Community College volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday with a loss in the third-place match of the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

In a rematch of a game that Owens lost earlier in the season, Parkland College (Ill.) outlasted the Express 25-20, 25-21, 25-18 at Owens.

“It was a good match,” Owens coach Sonny Lewis said. “We knew coming in that they would be tough. They’ve gotten a lot better since we played them earlier in the year, and they were just a better team than we were today.”

Owens ends the year with a 37-11 overall record and earns a fourth-place finish in the national tournament.

Anthony Wayne graduate Molly Hilfinger finished the game with a team-high 27 assists. Hilfinger finishes her career as the all-time assist leader at Owens.

The fourth-place finish is the best ever for Owens while competing in Division II.

“We had a great year,” Lewis said. “We got a taste of what it’s like to be here. We have a lot of returners coming back, so hopefully we come back next year hungry to win it all.”