Dominant service game fuels Red Devils sweep at Tacoma

TACOMA, Wash. — Lower Columbia College volleyball kept its pursuit of the NWAC West Region crown rolling in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, overpowering the Tacoma Community College Titans in straight sets (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) at the TCC Gymnasium. The victory required just 70 minutes of match play, fueled by a relentless serving display and an efficient, high-powered offense.

The Red Devils wasted no time establishing control in the opening set. Paced by freshman outside hitter Kendall Humphrey, who delivered a match-high eight service aces and added nine kills on a crisp .571 hitting percentage, Lower Columbia consistently kept the Titans off-balance. In the second set, LCC hit an electric .520 as a team, converting 15 kills against just two attack errors to turn an early back-and-forth contest into another comfortable frame.

Tacoma battled in the third set behind sophomore outside hitter Mykah Curtis (team-high eight kills) and setter Avary Liotti (19 assists), but the Red Devils' depth and service pressure proved too difficult to manage. Lower Columbia closed the final frame on a 7-2 run to seal the sweep.

For the match, Lower Columbia out-hit Tacoma .341 to .174 and held a decisive 13-to-2 advantage in service aces.

NWAC West Region playoff and standings impact

With the road sweep, Lower Columbia improves to 7-1 in West Region play (13-5 overall), cementing their position atop the region standings alongside Highline (6-2). Ranked No. 6 in the latest NWAC Volleyball Coaches' Poll, the Red Devils are in prime position down the stretch.

Tacoma drops to 1-8 in conference play (3-20 overall), continuing an uphill battle near the bottom of the table.

In the NWAC postseason format, only the top four teams from each region earn bids to the NWAC Volleyball Championship Tournament. More importantly, capturing the West Region No. 1 seed awards home-court advantage as a host site for the NWAC Regional Round. Having completed the season sweep over Tacoma and holding the head-to-head edge over Highline, the Red Devils control their own destiny toward securing a top seed and hosting regional playoff action in Longview.