Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4
    This weekend entailed a road trip to Champaign, IL, to visit the Cobras for the Parkland Fall Invitational. The tournament held fierce competition, as the Hawks were more than ready to compete, sweeping through their first three competitors before receiving some redemption.

    The first competitor to step to the plate was Hawkeye Community College. The Hawks had no problem when it came to the RedTails as they swept the match 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15). The team as a whole was consistent offensively and defensively. The front row accumulated 43 kills while the back row kept everything up with 62 digs. Graci Junis led the Hawks at the charge with 18 digs and 13 kills. Another strong presence at the net was freshman Lexie Robokoff, who finished the match with five blocks.
    Following the RedTails were the Red Hawks of Lake Michigan College. The Hawks had no problem as they ran through the match with strong team play from around the court. The match would end with the second sweep of the weekend (25-8, 25-12, 25-11). The women's volleyball team worked seamlessly as a unit, combining strong defense, efficient setting, and powerful attacking to secure the match victory. The Hawks ended with 45 kills, 42 digs, 20 assists, and eight aces to round out the first day of play.

    In store for day two were two ranked teams and some competitive play as the team would take on #14-ranked Des Moines Area Community College and #3-ranked Kirkwood Community College.

    The Hawks were able to run through the DMACC Bears quickly, winning the match 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-13). Sophomore setter Brooklyn Brennan collected 36 assists, providing Addison Pacha some help on her 11 kills of the match. The back row was solid as Junis and Sam Molenhouse picked up 13 digs apiece.
    The final match was highly anticipated as the Hawks sought redemption from their previous matchup against the Kirkwood Eagles. After falling in five sets the last time the teams met, the Hawks came out with high intensity and energy. Leading the way at the net, Pacha tallied 17 kills while Robokoff added seven blocks. Brennan rounded out the attack with a weekend-best 41 assists, and defensively, the sophomore libero stepped up with 23 digs. The Hawks secured the victory in five sets (25-21, 25-9, 19-25, 22-25, 15-11).

    With the win of the Parkland Invite, Heartland moved from #4 to #3 in the national rankings. Their record would improve to 18-2 as they head into the week. The Hawks face the Snappers of Spoon River College on Wednesday, September 24th, before returning to play this weekend in Springfield, IL, for the Lincoln Land Invitational.