Responding positively from a recent run of uneven performances, the St. Louis Community College softball team has won three of four in its best stretch to date.

The Archers began this week by splitting a doubleheader against Three Rivers before sweeping two games over Southwestern Illinois College on April 9. The four-game surge improved the Archers’ record to 7-18

“I hope they understand that the outcome of that was very important,” Archers head coach Glen Ellis said. “We lose two to Jeffco, and then we come back and win a couple. I don’t know how long it’s been since St. Louis Community College has beaten Three Rivers, but it’s been a while.”

The last win by a Meramec campus-based STLCC team over Three Rivers came on April 16, 2010, when Meramec completed a doubleheader sweep of the Raiders.

Pitchers Nicole Willie (Oakville) and Katie Harper (Kirkwood) continue to handle the workload in the circle. The freshman duo has accounted for each of the team’s victories this year.

With inclement weather in the area over the last two days, STLCC has received an unexpected, though welcomed, break in the schedule that should serve the team well both athletically and academically.

“It is very beneficial to get a day (off),” Ellis said. “One reason is to get the girls a break, but the main reason is that the girls haven’t been able to be in class recently. We’ve pushed some games back. We’ve had some rainouts, so this will help with that.”

The Archers will look to maintain the positive momentum built this week when they return to action Saturday with a doubleheader against Cottey College at STLCC-Meramec. First pitch is at noon.

"We're peaking at the right time," Ethridge said. "These kids are believing in each other, they're believing in their teammates, and they're believing in their coaching staff. When you have all those things happening, positive things happen for us."

Freshman guard Kalah Martin (Kirkwood) put on her top performance of the season, scoring a game-high 26 points while also grabbing six steals to lead the Archers. 
 
STLCC trailed 32-28 at halftime, and 44-34 at their largest deficit in the second half. The team rallied for the win by ending the game on a 12-0 run.

St. Louis Community College's women's basketball team is going back to the NJCAA tournament. The Archers rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat 12th-ranked North Arkansas College to win the District P title and advance to nationals. This will be the third consecutive national tournament bid for Archers head coach Shelly Ethridge and assistant Melanie Marcy.

Sophomore guard Kirstie Owen (Salem) drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining. The Archers never looked back from there.

 "I'm just so happy for these kids and this experience," Ethridge said. "We're developing something special for St. Louis Community College and our program. I'd like to keep this going."
 
The NJCAA tournament begins Tuesday, March 19 at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois. The Archers' first-round opponent has not yet been determined.

With a 66-54 win over Penn Valley in the Region XVI title game on Sunday, St. Louis Community College's women's basketball team culminated a month-long resurgence with the program's second straight Region XVI title.

"We're just so proud of the girls," Archers assistant coach Melanie Marcy said. "After what they've been through, to accomplish what they have, I know those kids now know that they can accomplish anything. The rough first half against Cottey, it was like we needed to get beyond that. Since then, it's been total togetherness. We couldn't be more proud of them."

The Archers (18-9) entered the tournament as the third seed, and fought their way to the top by defeating second-seeded Cottey College before taking down top-seeded Penn Valley for the second time in just over a week. The Archers defeated the Scouts 56-51 in the regular-season finale.

For the second straight game, it was a dominant second-half performance that led the Archers to victory. Carrying a one-point lead into halftime, STLCC outscored Penn Valley 34-23 in the final 20 minutes.

"We just were lucky enough that we happened to peak at the right time," Marcy said. "Some of these teams we beat, they dominated us during the season, and at that time, we were struggling. We were still trying to find our identity.

The Archers were led in scoring by sophomore guard Chanese Washington (Mehlville), who finished with a game-high 22 points. Sophomore guard Kirstie Owen (Salem, Ill.) chipped in 14.

The win advances the Archers to the District D championship against Region II champion Northern Arkansas on Saturday, March 9 at STLCC-Forest Park. Game time is yet to be determined. For a team that has thrived on momentum for the past three weeks, a full week of preparation could serve as a change of pace.

"It's a long week," Marcy said. "It's a full week of practice, and at this point, you don't have to worry about motivation. They're one win away from their goal (of the national tournament). It's strategy how you lay out the week for the girls. You've got to get your conditioning in, your rest in, and Shelly does a good job of reading what the kids need each day. I think they'd be ready to go before Saturday, but we'll take the rest."

Ethridge named Region XVI Coach of the Year

For the third consecutive season, Archers head coach Shelly Ethridge was named Region XVI Coach of the Year following Sunday's championship. Ethridge has guided her teams to a regional title each of the last three seasons, two with the Archers and in 2010-2011 with Meramec. A win this Saturday would make it three consecutive national tournament bids for Ethridge.

Prior to his team’s District D playoff game against Heartland Community College, Juergen Huettner issued a simple prediction to his team: Their next game would come in much warmer weather.

Some players, interpreting this as Huettner getting a bit ahead of himself entering the win-or-go-home game in Normal, Ill., were a bit more cautious.

Undeterred, the STLCC head coach explained himself. Either they were going to win, and play next week in Florida, or a loss would keep them off the field until August. Either way, they’d be out of the 40-degree temperatures the team experienced Saturday.

With a 3-1 win over Heartland in the blustery conditions on Saturday, the Archers will get the more favorable of those two options.

The Archers opened the scoring with just three minutes remaining in the first half, when freshman forward Jessica Smugala (Seckman) headed in a throw-in from sophomore Brooke Valleroy (Saxony Lutheran). Smugala’s 13th goal of the year would be the only scoring for either team in a first half that saw each team with scant offensive chances.

Freshman Jackie LaRocco scored the only goal of the day for Heartland, coming in the 60th minute to knot the game 1-1. But that would not last long, as Archers freshman Donna Jolliff (Seckman) nudged home a deflected free kick by Katie Foytlin (Belleville East) to put STLCC ahead for good just 55 seconds later.

“The most impressive part of today was to come down immediately and respond,” Huettner said. “That just shows the character of the team and what we’re made out of.” 

Freshman Katie Rapisardo (Mehlville) concluded the scoring late in the second half to provide the winning margin.

Saturday marked the first time a team had scored three goals in one game all season against Heartland, which entered the game ranked 11th in the most recent NJCAA national poll. The Hawks had allowed just three goals total over their previous 14 games.

“It just shows how good we are as a team,” Huettner said. “Heartland is an excellent team themselves, but to score three goals against a quality opponent, it’s special.”

The Archers now await their seeding before heading to Brevard Community College on Friday for the NJCAA Championship Tournament, which will begin Nov. 12. The Archers were beaten at Brevard in the first week of the season, but a lot has changed over the last two months for STLCC.

“We came a long way from where we were at the start of the season,” Rapisardo said. “We went from being beaten 4-0, and now we’ve beaten all these teams, so I’ll be excited to see what the outcome will be in nationals. I’m also really excited to play in warmer weather.”

Because of Saturday’s win, she won’t even have to wait until August.

In what served as a promising next step for a talented the St. Louis Community College women’s soccer team, the Archers completed a pair of 1-0 wins Friday and Saturday to secure the Region XVI title.

The Archers captured the regional title game with a 1-0 win over Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods on Saturday.

“It’s neat, and it’s very rewarding,” head coach Juergen Huettner said following the regional title. “For us to get the No. 1 seed and then win the regional, that’s very rewarding for a young team.”

The Archers, who fell in the Region XVI championship to MCC-Blue River last year, responded by shutting out Maple Woods and semifinal opponent St. Charles Community College in a pair of defensive-oriented contests this time.

In the championship tilt Saturday, freshman forward Jessica Smugala (Seckman) scored with an assist from freshman forward Donna Jolliff (Seckman) to notch the game’s only goal in the 22nd minute. Freshman goalie Apolonia Thomas (Cape Girardeau Central) and the Archers’ defensive unit took over from there, denying Maple Woods’ last offensive push in the final 20 minutes.

Jolliff also played a leading role in helping the Archers reach the championship game, as she scored a second-half goal the previous day to provide the winning 1-0 margin over St. Charles.

Huettner noted that while the Archers performed well against regional opponents in the regular season, his team’s standing as the region’s top seed guaranteed they would see the best game of the year from both St. Charles and Maple Woods.

The win marked the first time in the last six years that a top seed emerged as the champion of the region.

The Archers now await the winner of Region XXIV, which is a talented bracket that includes Parkland College, Southwest Illinois College and Kaskaskia Community College. While the Archers defeated SWIC twice this year, and also knocked off Kaskaskia, Parkland was responsible for ending what was a 10-game STLCC winning streak earlier this month.

Given the talent of that region, and the recent history with STLCC, the Archers are expecting a considerable challenge regardless of their opponent.

“We feel like we can play anybody, and it’s going to be a battle no matter what,” Huettner said. “Whoever comes out of that region is going to be a top-notch.”