WNCC volleyball falls to NJC

                STERLING, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team Battled Northeastern Junior College in the Region IX South conference contest, but in the end it was the No. 2-ranked Plainswomen that registered the 25-11, 25-17, 25-20 win Wednesday in Sterling, Colorado. 

                WNCC drops to 14-15 on the season and 5-3 in South conference play. NJC moves to 28-2 and 8-0 in conference play. 

                The Cougars will have nearly a week off before their next contest, which will be Tuesday when they host Eastern Wyoming College with a 7 p.m. start. Tuesday’s contest will be special in many ways as it is WNCC Homecoming Alumni Night as well as PAWZitivity Pink Breast Cancer Awareness night. Also, Tuesday will be the sophomore recognition for the five sophomores on the team. That recognition will take place after the match. 

                In the meantime, the Cougars will get back to work to tidy up the little things that plagued the team in the contest against NJC. 

                WNCC managed just 17 service points in the contest and had 22 total kills with 18 hitting errors. Kyana Gabriel and Charli Blackman led the team with six kills each while Lilly Zwart had five kills. Chloe Grady tallied three kills while Tanika Eastman, Shanelle Martinez, and Finja Schul each had a kill. 

                The Cougars also tallied 30 total digs led by Taylor Tyser with 11 followed by Martinez with 10 and Blackman with five. Martinez also had 21 set assists with an ace and three service points. Tyser had two points with two aces. 

                The contest started out close as WNCC trailed early 5-4. That was when NJC went on three big service runs, jumping to a 11-4 lead and then had 6-point run to lead 19-7 and then had a short 3-point run late before winning 25-11. 

                The second set saw NJC jump to a 3-0 lead, but the Cougars took the lead on two Gabriel service points for a 4-3 lead. NJC went back in front 9-5 only to watch WNCC cut the deficit to 9-7 on a Megan Bewley point.  

                The Plainswomen went back in front 18-10 but it didn’t last as the Cougars mounted a comeback as Gabriel had three points to cut the deficit to 18-14. NJC did to up 22-15, but the Cougars on a Blackman kill, but NJC finished off the second set 25-17. 

                The third was a nailbiter as both teams refused to give the other team long service runs. WNCC had back-to-back points four times early on as they led 4-3 on a Gabriel ace serve and trailed by two points on several occasions, the last time at 11-9 on a Blackman kill and service point. 

                NJC a couple back-to-back service runs late and finally won 25-20.