Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Iowa Central teammates Asarar Gony (28) and Lexi Green (3) go for a block at the net inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

The 17th-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team concluded action Saturday inside Hodges Fieldhouse with a five-set victory over Carl Sandburg.

Much like the match itself, it was an eventful two days for the Tritons, who went 3-1 in their own invitational.

Iowa Central (27-8) kicked things off on Friday with a four-set upset of No. 6 Cowley County, but hit a bump in the road later that night with a loss to Labette.

During that match, sophomore standout Gabby Sullivan went down with an arm injury and had to be taken to the hospital. ICCC head coach Sara Horn admitted Saturday that scene was tough to overcome for her squad.

“It was a huge win over Cowley, as we played a real solid match,” Horn said. “Labette is a good team, but when Gabby went down, it completely turned the momentum around.

“I think we felt more pressure (Saturday) to come out and the girls played like they felt the pressure. We had several step up and have good matches, though, which was good to see.”

The Tritons, though, rebounded with two wins over North Platte and the Chargers, improving to 6-1 in their last seven.

After going up 2-0 vs. Carl Sandburg, the Chargers rallied to force a fifth and deciding set. Sullivan and Kayla Faldet took control, recording eight kills as the Tritons won, 15-11.

Sullivan finished the match with 21 kills, four digs and five blocks, with Faldet adding 11 kills and six blocks. Libby Zorn also had 10 kills and Abby Lohrmann 46 assists. Kryssie Okinaka chipped in 17 digs, Michele O’Haver had 20 and Liza Hatcher added 15.

“To come out 3-1 at this tournament was good because it was a tough tournament,” Horn said. “Nobody finished undefeated. I thought the girls played hard all weekend.”

Over the course of the two days, Sullivan had 67 kills and 10 blocks. Zorn had 42 kills and Faldet 26 more in four matches.

Lohrmann recorded at least 40 assists in three of the four and Iowa Central finished with 29 aces.

Horn said Sullivan’s arm injury “isn’t anything serious” and she will be “sore for a few days.” She doesn’t anticipate her missing any upcoming matches.

Iowa Central travels to Boone on Wednesday for an ICCAC showdown with Des Moines Area before returning home Friday to host Marshalltown. Regional tournament play begins Wednesday, Nov. 1.