Fifth-ranked BC3 Volleyball Team Wins 3rd Consecutive Region 20 Title

Arnold, Md. – The unbeaten and fifth-ranked Butler County Community College volleyball squad’s perfect season continued Saturday with a regional title in Arnold, Md., and a berth in a three-team district tournament whose top two squads will advance to the national championships in Rochester, Minn.

Ellwood City standout Breanna Reisinger had 14 kills, Morgan Jack 32 assists and Lainey Tobolewski 20 digs as the Pioneers (15-0) won their third National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 title in a row.

BC3 swept host Anne Arundel Community College 25-10, 25-21 and 25-19 in the Region 20 finals at Jenkins Gym. The Pioneers on Saturday also swept Howard Community College, Columbia, Md., 25-9, 25-10 and 25-16 in the Region 20 semifinals.

“We played outstanding in the first match,” BC3 coach Rob Snyder said. “We were really sharp. Everything looked really good. In the second match, we let down a little bit. (Anne Arundel) was scrappy and played hard so give them a lot of credit.”

The Pioneers’ sweeps were their 12th and 13th of the season. BC3 is 15-0 for the first time in Snyder’s 22 seasons as coach. The program’s previous best start under Snyder was 14-0 in 2016.

BC3 will host the three-team NJCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic A-B District Tournament on Saturday and Sunday in playoffs that include the champions of Region 10 and 12.

The Pioneers, Sandhills Community College, of Pinehurst, N.C., and two-time-defending national champion Owens Community College, of Perrysburg, Ohio, will compete next weekend at BC3’s Field House.

“I don’t know that we always feel like we have a chance to compete with the very top-tier teams, but I think this team has that ability,” Snyder said. “They want to compete, which is really important. Winning is important to them. It’s a good opportunity for us and this is a team that has the potential to move on.”

BC3’s No. 5 ranking among 91 NJCAA Division III volleyball programs is its first since 2016.

Unranked Sandhills, the Region 10 champion, is 20-5. Second-ranked Owens, the Region 12 champion, is 24-7.

BC3 earned berths in the NJCAA Division III national tournament in 2002 and 2009. The Pioneers finished fifth in 2002 and sixth in 2009.

Reisinger on Saturday was named the Region 20 tournament’s most valuable player. Jack, Aslyn Pry and Tobolewski were named to the Region 20 all-tournament team.

“We had fun on the court (Saturday) and I think that is when we play our best,” said Reisinger, a graduate of Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, who had 14 kills also against Howard. The outside hitter leads the Pioneers with 149 kills, with 60 in the past four matches.

Jack, a Knoch High graduate, had 38 assists against Howard.

“We started off really strong, and our chemistry was really good in the first couple of sets,” said Jack, a setter who leads the Pioneers with 461 assists, with 32 or more in the past five matches. “And then I think we started getting a little bit too comfortable. But then we ended up pulling ourselves out of ruts, which is a really, big strong suit for our team.”

Tobolewski, a Seneca Valley graduate, had 22 digs against Howard. The libero leads the Pioneers with 390 digs, with 20 or more in the past six matches.

“We dropped a little bit, but we were able to pull ourselves out and come together as a team,” Tobolewski said. “I think that is one of the most exciting things, that we can pull ourselves out of any problems that we have.”

Pry, a Moniteau graduate, had 10 kills and BC3’s only block against Howard. The middle hitter had the Pioneers’ only two blocks against Anne Arundel. Pry leads the Pioneers with 19 blocks.

The Pioneers, whose roster is composed of only first-year players, won the program’s 11th Region 20 title under Snyder on Saturday.

Jack, Pry, Reisinger and Tobolewski were also selected Oct. 16 to the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference all-conference team after the Pioneers won a conference-record sixth consecutive title.

BC3 did not play in 2020 as a result of an NJCAA decision to postpone athletics with regard to COVID-19.

Players on a BC3 team that recorded the program’s 12th winning season in a row also include Madison Raypush, an outside hitter and Knoch graduate; Riley Danner, defender, Knoch; Logan Barnhart, setter, Moniteau; Kylee Bender, defender, Knoch; Abby Granato, outside hitter, Mohawk; Josie Rupp, outside hitter, Redbank Valley; Claire Kile, middle hitter, Harvest Baptist; and Morgan Frishkorn, opposite hitter, Knoch.

Anne Arundel beat Penn Highlands Community College, Johnstown, 3-2 Saturday in the regional semifinals.