Charli Blackman finished with 17 kills and Megan Bewley served up 19 points as the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team put together a complete contest in earning a four-set 25-20, 23-25, 25-25-21, 25-16 win over the Lancers in the final home match for the five sophomores.
Bewley, one of the five sophomores, said the team played well in picking up their 15th win of the season.
"I think we played very well all-around," the Scottsbluff High graduate said. "We had a little bit of a lull there in the second set, but overall we brought it back."
The complete contest saw the Cougars finish with 53 total kills with 42 service points and 83 digs. It was a contest that the Cougars stayed focused from start to finish.
"It was huge of how we played. They say defense wins games and we stayed in system and not letting the ball drop, it made us set up the ball to the hitters and finish the point," Bewley said.
The win was huge for the Cougars as they are nearing the end of the regular season and this was a big effort to show the rest of the region how dangerous they can be if they start clicking on all cylinders.
"We are definitely looking to push to the end," Bewley said. "I know we have a lot of people watching us and I think we want to do it for ourselves and we want to do it for Binny and we just want to finish strong."
While the Cougars got the win, it was also a special night as the five sophomores played their last match at Cougar Palace. The five sophomores, Bewley, Blackman, Shae Hardy, Shanelle Martinez, and Maya Angelova, were recognized after the game. Bewley said it was special that they got a win on their last home match.
"I think it is surreal and I don't think it has set in yet, but I am grateful for this opportunity that I have had the last two years," she said. "I know the other sophomores think the same thing, too."
WNCC started slow in the contest as the Lancers held a 6-1 lead behind three points from Emma Blackstar and two from Neeley Rutledge. EWC led 7-2 when WNCC came back starting with a Blackman block and then five service points from Taylor Tyser to go up 9-7. EWC tied the contest at 9-9, but Blackman hammered a kill and Bewley served up six points behind two kills form Finja Schul and a kill from Blackman for a 16-9 lead.
WNCC kept going as Hardy served a point to go up 21-12. EC came back to cut the deficit to 22-18 after three Rutledge points, but the Cougars finished off the first set on a Blackman kill to win 25-20.
The second set saw the Cougars play well. EWC got going first as they led 4-0 after three Rutledge points. Tyser came back with three service points to tie the contest at 5-5. WNCC led 11-10 after two Martinez points and led 19-15 on a Kyana Gabriel point. The Cougars led late 23-22, but Ana Djurovic served the final two points to give EWC the 25-23 win.
The third set saw WNCC led 6-3 after two Tyser points. The Cougars pushed the lead to 12-5 on three Blackman service points and then 17-7 on two Martinez points. EWC came came back to trail 18-14 on three Rutledge points and then two Siale Unufe points.
WNCC led 24-18 on a Schul kill before Blackstar served two points to bring the Lancers to within 24-21. Chloe Grady stopped the threat with a kill and the 25-21 win.
The fourth set saw EWC lead early at 3-2. Lilly Zwart got a kill and put the service into Bewley's hands and the sophomore defensive specialist served nine straight points to put the Cougars up 12-3. EWC came back to within four points at 17-13 on a Kendall Schaffner point, but Hardy served three points for a 21-13 lead. Bewley then had two more points later for a 24-14 lead. WNCC finished off the match on a Blackman kill.
WNCC had five players finish with double-doubles in the contest. Blackman tallied 17 kills and 12 points. She also five service points and two assisted blocks. Bewley had a double-double with 19 digs and 19 points, while Tyser had 13 digs, 14 points, and four set assists. Gabriel also had a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Martinez finished with 42 set assists with 15 digs, and five points.
Also for the Cougars, Angelova had a kill with a block; Zwart had 10 kills, four digs, and three blocks; Schul had nine kills, five digs, two points, and three assisted blocks; Grady had five kills with two digs and three blocks; and Hardy tallied four points with a dig.
WNCC will wrap up the regular season this weekend when they travel to face Trinidad State College on Friday before battling Otero College on Saturday. A win over Trinidad State will give the Cougars the No. 2 seed from the South Sub-region for the regional tournament that starts November 1 in Sterling, Colorado.