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When Tiana Whitacre joined the Montcalm Community College’s (MCC) Centurions volleyball team last year, she wanted to create a legacy with the newly established team during the short time she was there.

On Oct. 11, during a game against the Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) Raiders, the Whitacre (Sheridan, Mich.) reached a goal she had been aiming for since she started as setter for the Centurions – reaching 1,000 career assists.

“It’s really exciting (to be making history),” Whitacre said. “I couldn’t have done it without my team. The ball wouldn’t be in my hands without their passing and it wouldn’t be an assist if our attackers didn’t hit the ball to the floor so without them, it’s really nothing.”

As the moment was coming up, Whitacre admitted getting to the 1,000 mark was on her mind as they began play against GRCC.

“I found out the day before that I was 14 assists away from hitting the mark,” she said. “The first set was kind of a slow start, so I wasn’t’ sure. But we made it happen and it was really exciting.”

With MCC’s athletics having been instituted after a 40-year hiatus, there are many firsts that last year and this year’s Centurions athletes will hit as they work there way through the one- and two-year probationary periods for both the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and National Junior College Athletic Association. For Whitacre, being able to be the first to reach 1,000 assists for her program, is part of the legacy she is happy to leave behind.

“I want to be able to leave leadership and hard work,” she said. “It’s very important on and off the court and I want to be able to be available to teammates who can reach out to me in 5-6 years. I want them to know we built a connection and off court.”

Centurions Head Coach Kara Youngs knew when she recruited Whitacre, she’d be getting a hard-working setter who would bring a lot of spunk and energy to her team.

“She’s very high energy, loud and encouraging,” Youngs said of the two-year team captain. “Her spirit on the court and placement of settings are her biggest assets. She has smooth hands for a setter and her communication with the hitters has been excellent.”

With all that she has accomplished, Whitacre said there is still more work to be done as the Centurions volleyball team recently qualified to compete in the MCCAA’s post-season tournament. Though still in its probationary period (which ends Dec. 31, 2024), MCC will be allowed to compete in the tournament but cannot officially win it. The Centurions, however, are eligible to for the NJCAA tournament without any probationary restrictions.

Before her time is finished at MCC, Whitacre expects to help bring her team to the next level, which she hopes carries over to the next season.

“The goals for this team was to take it as far as we can into the postseason,” she said. “I think it is so cool we are entering postseason competition in only our second year. With this only being the second year of MCC sports, I think we’re really growing together and building a good foundation with this program.”

The Centurions will face Southwestern Michigan (MCCAA Western Conference) in Port Huron, Nov. 6, in a Great Lakes District A play-in game. Game time is yet to be announced.

As of Nov. 1, MCC has a 3-9 record in the MCCAA Northern Conference and is 8-18 overall. Southwestern is 7-5 in its conference play and 20-14 overall.