Jady Gerotto and Barbara Rabanal combined for 26 kills and the No. 4 Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team picked up a four-game win over Western Wyoming Community College 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17.
A big key in the win was the play of Gering's Santanna Mitchell, who provided a spark late in the third and fourth set. Mitchell finished with four kills and three points.
"Once we got everything going, we played pretty good," Mitchell said. "There were plays where it was slower and those weren't so good. The game was back and forth and it was tiring but we had to stick it through and finish the play and go on."
The Cougars and Mustangs were definitely going back and forth with scrappy play. Mitchell said they won because they brought the intensity.
"That is the key for this team and to play together; playing with a lot of energy is what makes or breaks us," she said. "If you go in and you don't have the intensity, no drive to want to win, you just want it to happen, it's not going to happen."
The Cougars won the first two games with some key runs. The first game saw Fabiana Andrade have a key early service run and then Rabanal had a late service run with key kills from Gerotto for the 25-20 win.
The second game saw Western Wyoming jump out to an 8-2 lead Shaney Tiumalu put the Cougars up 9-8 with another service run. The Mustangs came back to lead 18-16, but Tiumalu served the Cougars to a 19-18 lead. WNCC went on to win 25-23.
Western Wyoming was fired up in the third game, jumping to a 7-2 lead and leading 17-9. The Mustangs continued staying strong leading 10-12 and 24-18. That was when Mitchell came in and got back-to-back kills and sparked a rally that saw Gerotto serve four straight points to pull within 24-23, but Western Wyoming hung on for the win.
The fourth set was also back and forth. WNCC held an early 12-8 lead behind strong serving from Rabanal. The Mustangs came back to come within one at 13-12 and later 14-13. That was when Mitchell ignited another run with a kill and then Andrade served five straight points for a 20-13 lead.
After the Mustangs got a point, Kennedy Cyza hammered home a kill and Mitchell had three service points, including two backrow kills to put the lead to double-digits at 24-14 before WNCC won 25-17.
Mitchell said energy was the key for the third and fourth games run.
"it just takes fire and intensity and heart to win," she said. "We can't let the ball drop; we just need to go for everything and play our heart out. That is honestly what volleyball is – giving 110 percent."
WNCC had many contributors in their 16th win of the season. Rababal had a double-double with 10 kills and 12 kills. Rabanal also had five blocks.
Andrade also had a double-double for the Cougars, tallying 38 set assists, 15 digs, and three aces.
Gerotto paced the Cougars with 14 kills along with four blocks and an ace, while Tiumalu had eight kills and four digs.
Also for the Cougars, Keala Kaio-Perez finished with 10 digs; Katy Ernest had nine digs; Fautino Manu had three digs; Kennedy Cyza had three kills and five blocks; Lara Picht had six kills; and Mitchell finished with four kills, two digs, and three points.
WNCC< 16-3, will be back in action Friday and Saturday when they co-host the WyoBraska Shootout with Eastern Wyoming College. WNCC will face Utah State-Eastern at 10 a.m. Friday and No. 5 Northwest College at 2 p.m.
Mitchell said they have to start strong from the get-go to pick up four wins this weekend.
"We need to start from the beginning and don't start off slow," she said. "We started off good but then they got us in the third set. We just need to start and finish and don't make mistakes either."