STERLING, Colo. -- After capturing two wins on Friday in the Pizza Hut Invite including topping No. 2 Northwest College, the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball split a pair of games on Saturday.

                The No. 4-ranked Cougars opened up with a morning match against Casper College and fell in a heartbreaker in five games 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 13-15. WNCC rebounded to close out the Invite with a 3-1 mark by sweeping Barton Community College 25-15, 25-19, 25-18 to move to 14-3 on the season.

                The Casper match was a contest where WNCC was up 2 games to 1 before dropping the fourth game 25-18 and then falling in the fifth game 15-13.

                Fabiana Andrade led the Cougars against the Thunderbirds with a triple double, collecting 56 set assists, 14 points and 11 digs. Andrade also had two aces, three kills, and three solo blocks.

                WNCC had three players finish with double-figure kills. Barbara Rabanal led the way with 17 kills followed by Lara Picht with 15 and Shaney Tiumalu with 14. All three hitters also had two solo blocks.

                Tiumalu also had five points, while Rabanal ahd four points, three aces, and eight digs.

                Also for the Cougars, Keala Kaio-Perez finished with eight kills, six digs, and three points; Fuatino Manu had 10 digs; Santanna Mitchell finished with 10 digs and three points; Kennedy Cyza had four kills, nine points, three blocks, and three digs.

                WNCC rebounded after the loss with a sweep over Barton.  Andrade led the Cougars with 31 set assists while also picking up six points and nine digs.

                Rabanal tallied 12 kills to lead the team. Rabanal also had seven points and five kills.

                Tiumalu pounded home seven kills followed by five each from Picht and Kaio-Perez. Picht also had four digs and 10 points.

                Also for the Cougars, MItchell had three kills; Manu had five digs; Tiumalu with nine points, and Cyza with four points and two aces.

                WNCC will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Casper, Wyoming, to face Casper College. WNCC will then return home for five home matches next weekend, beginning with a match on Thursday against No. 13 Western Wyoming Community College before hosting the WyoBraska Shootout on Friday and Saturday with Eastern Wyoming College.

                WNCC will face four teams in the WyoBraska Shootout with Utah State-Eastern at 10 a.m. on Friday and then No. 2 Northwest College at 2 p.m. Saturday's matches will pit WNCC against Garden City Community College at 10 a.m. and Sheridan College at 2 p.m.