(Butler, PA) Anora Robare had 17 assists, Dakota Weldon eight kills and All-American Johnna Hill seven digs Monday evening as the Butler County Community College volleyball team recorded the program’s second undefeated regular season since 2021 and will begin a postseason quest Saturday afternoon to reach the national championship tournament for the fourth time in program history.
Josie Russo, a former first-team all-state selection at Freeport Area Senior High School, added five blocks and Adriona Arnold five service aces as the Pioneers (21-0) swept Thiel College’s junior varsity squad 25-7, 25-11 and 25-15 in BC3’s Field House.
BC3 is ranked No. 4 in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division III, which includes 87 programs from states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.
The Pioneers will compete for the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and NJCAA Division III Region 20 titles in a dual championship at 2 p.m. Saturday in BC3’s Field House. BC3 will face the winner of an 11 a.m. semifinal between the Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Johnstown.
The winner advances to Mid-Atlantic District championship tournament in North Carolina and to be hosted by the NJCAA Division III Region 10 winner. The district winner earns an automatic berth in the NJCAA Division III national championship tournament Nov. 14-16 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“We don’t want to lose. Losing could mean that our season is done.”
“Every single one of us has one goal, and that is to get to nationals.”
“Rob (Snyder) always says to peak at the end, and that is what we are doing.”
BC3’s sweep Monday evening was its 15th of the season and followed those against NJCAA Division II programs Westmoreland County Community College, the Community College of Beaver County, Potomac State College (W.Va.) and Anne Arundel Community College (Md.), and against Penn State Shenango, DuBois, Beaver and New Kensington.
The Pioneers have lost only seven sets in 2024.
“I think they should be confident,” BC3 head coach Rob Snyder said. “But it’s my job to keep them focused on the bigger picture, what we are dealing with, the day-to-day things to be successful.
“It’s easy to say this, but what you have to do is to be playing your best at the end of the regular season. We have to play with energy. We have to play together with a lot of communication. And we have to execute our skills in the right way.”
Russo on Monday evening tied a season-high with five blocks.
“One of the things that factored into the undefeated season was all of us wanting to win,” said Russo, one of seven first-year players on BC3’s roster. “We don’t want to lose. Losing could mean that our season is done.”
Russo leads the Pioneers with 26 blocks and with 170 kills. She is second in hitting percentage – a formula that factors kills, errors and zero attacks – among NJCAA Division III players who this season have at least 15 total attempts.
“She is consistently getting kills,” Snyder said of Russo, who has 313 total attempts and a .492 hitting percentage. “She doesn’t make many errors. When we can get her the ball, half the time or so it ends up in a kill, which is really high.”
“This group is definitely special”
Robare, chosen as the Butler County girls volleyball player of the year in 2023 by the Butler Eagle’s sports staff, has had 17 or more assists in 13 matches this season and in each of the past five.
Hill has had seven or more digs 11 times and in each of the past three matches.
“This group is definitely special,” said Hill, named the program’s 13th NJCAA All-American in 2023. “Every single one of us has one goal, and that is to get to nationals. … We are not overconfident. Every single set, every single point is important to us. And we need to just keep moving forward.”
BC3 has won eight consecutive WPCC titles and five NJCAA Division III Region 20 crowns in a row.
BC3 has qualified for the NJCAA Division III national championship tournament three times. The Pioneers placed fifth in 2002, and sixth in 2009 and in 2021 – when BC3 finished its regular season 12-0 en route to a 16-0 start.
“I never expect any team to go undefeated”
Nina Szymanski has had 10 or more digs in 11 matches and a total of 42 in her past two.
“I think we are playing the best we have all season,” said Szymanski, who leads BC3 with 267 digs. “Rob (Snyder) always says to peak at the end, and that is what we are doing. I expect to see the same type of competition Saturday that we saw this season.
“Following that, if we move on to North Carolina, I expect that will be the best competition we have seen all season. You have to keep your eyes open and be ready for whatever is coming.”
Snyder is in his 25th season as BC3’s head coach. His squads are 471-166.
“I never expect any team to go undefeated,” Snyder said. “But we knew this was one of our most talented teams. We expected this was going to be a good season if everything came together, which is never easy. The process is always difficult, but we definitely have talent and the best recruiting class we have had.”
The Pioneers have been ranked in each of the past three seasons, and as high as No. 1 in 2022.
Robare is a setter, graduate of Slippery Rock Area Senior High and medical coding and billing specialist student at BC3. Weldon, an outside hitter and Laurel High graduate, is a marketing management student. Hill, opposite hitter, Laurel, health and physical education-teacher education; Arnold, setter, Neshannock, criminology; Szymanski, libero, Knoch, Nursing, R.N.; and Russo, middle hitter, Freeport, Nursing, R.N.
The Pioneers’ roster also includes Jozee Weaver, outside hitter, Keystone, health and physical education-teacher education; Nilah Foley, outside hitter, Butler, health care science; Virginia Recchia, defense, Slippery Rock, business administration; Lexi Ruckdeschel, middle hitter, Allegheny-Clarion Valley, general studies; Marly Koleno, defense, Apollo Ridge, Nursing, R.N.; and Molly Bissell, outside hitter, Slippery Rock, business administration.
