Lara Picht and Barbara Rabanal combined for xx kills and the 25 kills and the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team captured their 9th straight win with a sweep over Eastern Wyoming College Wednesday at the Verl Petsch Activities Center.

                Rabanal powered down 14 kills and Picht had 11 kills and six points in lifting the Cougars to the 25-17, 25-19, 25-23 win over the Lancers.

                Picht, the outside hitter from Brandenburg, Germany, said the win was a team effort.

                "It was a team win. Everybody was together," she said. "I think we played pretty good. We did have some problems with the defense and the block but we connected as a team, had fun, and played well."

                The Cougars needed everyone to step up considering they were playing without starter Jady Gerotto, who twisted an ankle in practice on Tuesday. WNCC did just that with a balanced offense.

                WNCC played well in the first two sets and then struggled early in set three. Picht said she doen't know why the slow start in the third, but one of the keys for the team this year is they have a knack to come back.

                "That is one of our strengths, that we don't give up," she said. "We are tight and I don't know why we lost so many points there."

                The Cougars game back from EWC's quick start in the third behind the serving of Gering's Santanna Mitchell, who served six points including an ace to turn around a 10-5 deficit to a 12-10 WNCC lead.

                EWC kept fighting, though, tying the contest at 15-15 on a Perez point and grabbing a 17-16 lead on a kill by Lauren Hastings and a point by Seely.

                WNCC bounced back, starting with a Rabanal kill and then two service points by Rabanal and a kill from Picht for a 20-17 lead. WNCC led 23-20 before the Lancers came back to cut the lead to 24-23. That was as close as they could get, though.

                While the third set was a matter of streaks, the first two sets were pretty close. The first set saw EWC hold an early 2-1 lead behind a point by Hastings only to watch WNCC hake a 10-5 lead and later 18-11 lead behind two points by Katy Ernest.

                EWC got to within 21-17 before a Picht kill and then four points from Picht to end the first set.

                The second set was another back and forth contest. WNCC led 13-8 at one point, but the Lancers fought back, cutting the deficit to 19-18. After a missed serve, Picht had three service points before winning 25-19.

                Rabanal led WNCC with 14 kills, four points, and eight digs. Picht added 11 kills, seven points, and three digs.

                Also for the Cougars, SHaney Tiumalu had six kills, Maraea O'Connor had three kills and a solo block; Kaylee Spreier had two kills; Keala Kaio-Perez had eight digs, two aces and three points; Ernest had five digs and three points; Mitchell had six points and an ace; and Fabiana Andrade had 25 set assists, four points and seven digs.

                WNCC, 11-2, will be back in action Friday and Saturday at the Pizza Hut Invite in Sterling, Colo., where they will play No. 3 Northwest College.