Echo staff report
Rochester Community and Technical College placed third in the NJCAA Division III Volleyball Championships on Nov. 10 at the Regional Sports Center on the RCTC campus.†
The Yellowjackets finished 2-1 in the 12-team national event, defeating Rock Valley College of Rockford, Illinois, on Nov. 8 in the quarterfinals. RCTC lost to Owens Community College of Perrysburg, Ohio, the eventual national championship, in the semifinals on Nov. 9. The Yellowjackets, the No. 4 seed, then defeated second-seeded and Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Central Lakes 26-24, 25-19, 25-23 in the match for third place.
Carrie Rutledge led the Yellowjackets with 10 kills and she added six digs in the win over Central Lakes. AnnMarie Jalmasco had nine kills and four blocks, while Mariah Steinbach had nine kills and three blocks.
Freshman Brekkin McCready led RCTC with 33 set assists, and she chipped in with seven digs and three blocks. Alexis Dudycha and Heidi Wolf had eight digs each, while Hailey Bahr had five kills.
The Yellowjackets close the season with a 24-9 record, including a 12-0 in conferences matches. Seven of those losses were to seven of those were to nationally ranked Division II scholarship teams.