The Northampton Community College women’s volleyball team’s flight to Iowa for the national tournament was repeatedly delayed and then canceled.
So, they hopped on a bus trek that got them to the tournament just in time.
The NCC Spartans won junior college’s Region 19 this season and earned a place in the NJCAA Division III national tournament that took place on Nov. 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“All season, we were (the) winning volleyball team,” head coach Rachael Aquila said. “That is what we do.”
The recent federal government shutdown affected airports around the country and gave the team limited options to book a flight to Cedar Rapids for the tournament.
Aquila said the team booked a flight out of Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport and were scheduled to land in Chicago and then transfer to a flight to Iowa.
However, the team sat at the airport awaiting their flight and got news that the flight was delayed. Then it was delayed again, and again. Finally, the flight was cancelled.
Determined to find a way to the tournament, Aquila said, the team chartered a bus to take the 16-hour drive.
The team typically hires a charter bus to travel to away games during the regular season. The usual team bus driver is named Andy.
The players were not thrilled that they would need to drive to Iowa, Aquila said, but they were excited when the bus arrived and the charter company had hired Andy to take them.
When the team arrived at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena in Iowa, the players barely had time to rest before it was their turn to hit the court for their practice session.
“The drive helped us bond,” Aquila said, “but they were so exhausted.”
The Spartans beat New York state’s Finger Lakes Community College in the first round of the tournament but faced national powerhouse and defending national champion Dallas College-Eastfield in round two. They lost that game and NCC eventually finished eighth place in the tournament.
Dallas College-Eastfield, national champion for the last two years, went on to win the tournament to complete their three-peat performance.
NCC has fared well nationally in recent years. Aquila, a Nazareth Area High School graduate and former NCC volleyball player, took over as head coach in 2021.
The 2021 season was rough for the Spartans, who went 3-10. However, in 2022, the team won the EPAC Championship, Region 19 Championship, North Atlantic District B title and finished 10th at the NJCAA National Tournament.
In 2023, the Spartans finished a perfect 15-0 in the regular season and returned to the national tournament where the team received the NJCAA Sportsmanship Award. The team had a winning record of 16-7 in 2024.
During this season’s national tournament, the Spartans once again won the Sportsmanship Award and an individual award went to Grace Coppola who was elected to the NJCAA National All-Tournament Team. Lexi Womack was the Region 19 Player of the Year and Samantha Nagy earned District MVP honors.
Aquila said next year looks promising since six or seven players should be returning to the team.