Over a four-day stretch, the 10th-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team was put to the test.

Starting last Wednesday with a tough ICCAC battle at No. 2 Kirkwood, the Tritons played or saw in-person five Top-25 teams on the court, culminating with a big win over 2022 national champion and fifth-ranked Richard Bland here Saturday inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

As hosts of the Iowa Central Tournament, head coach Sara Horn brought to town No. 1 Cowley, Kirkwood, Richard Bland, 16th-ranked Kansas City-Kansas and No. 25 Madison. The Tritons (26-6 overall) went 2-1, falling to defending national champion Cowley while besting Allen in four to go along with the four-set win over Richard Bland.

“We love hosting tournaments, and this one was super special with the last two national champions in attendance,” Horn said. “It was great watching a ton of high-level matches, and ending with a win over No. 5 Richard Bland was a great way to go out.

“We’re super proud of our girls for fighting through a tough schedule and a long weekend, which included working some of the other matches.”

In the four-set win over Richard Bland, Iowa Central bounced back from a 27-25 setback in the opening set to post 25-18, 25-18 and 26-24 set wins.

Olivia Sturgis, a former Manson Northwest Webster standout, and Araya Garrison both had 11 kills, Talya Sampson added eight and Dena Robb seven. Emily Goodner, also a MNW grad, added six kills and 17 digs, with Shirley Monaghan contributing 19 digs and Olivia Benson 17

Dani Anela Kapu had 24 assists, Anabel Seaman added 18 assists and Sturgis, Garrison and Robb all had three block assists. Goodner served three aces and had a solo block.

“Our middles, Olivia and Araya, continue to show that they are the best middle duo in the country with big-time plays all weekend,” Horn said. “It was also great seeing our outsides, Emily and Talya, have a big match vs. Allen, which was a huge match to get after our Cowley match.”

Sampson had 15 kills and Goodner 13 against Allen while Seaman had 23 assists and Kapu 18. Garrison added eight kills, Brooke Lensing seven and Sturgis six.

Iowa Central has two regular season matches left, hosting Iowa Lakes on Wednesday and Iowa Western on Saturday. The Region XI Tournament kicks off Wednesday, Nov. 6.