STERLING, Colo. – The top-ranked Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team is just one win away from capturing their 17th straight Region IX title and national tournament berth after two impressive wins Thursday in the Region IX South Tournament in Sterling, Colorado.
The Cougars opened up play with a sweep over Trinidad State Junior College 25-19, 25-18, 25-12 behind 46 kills with nine players getting a kill. WNCC continued playing well against Northeastern Junior College in registering a four-game win the Plainswomen 25-12, 29-31, 25-17, 25-17.
"Overall today, I thought we played really well," sophomore Katy Ernest said. "We wanted and needed those wins today, and we worked really well together to make it happen."
The win against NJC, especially how they dominated in the first game with the 25-12 win which included five points from Jady Gerotto and seven points from Fabiana Andrade was huge.
"That win was very important to us as a team," Ernest, the Leyton High graduate, said. "We remembered that we can control the game and that is so big for us going into tomorrow because I think we can accomplish any goal we've set for ourselves."
Indeed the NJC win was huge, but the Cougars can't rest on what happened Thursday as the championship game Friday could be just as tough or tougher.
"To win tomorrow, we cannot overlook anyone regardless of our history with these teams," Ernest said. "We need to be able to just play our game together and continue point by point. That will help us win the one game we need to go to nationals."
WNCC played OK against Trinidad in the first two games. It was the third game that the Cougars were clicking on all cylinders. After Trinidad State took a 3-0 lead in the third, WNCC came back with an 11-point service run by Andrade to push the score to 13-3. Later, Fauatino Manu had four pointe for an 18-4 lead as they breezed to the win.
Gerotto led the way with 12 kills followed by Barbara Rabanal with 11. Shaney Tiumalu chipped in eight followed by three kills each for Andrade, Lara Picht, Kennedy Cyza, and Katy Ernest.
Andrade also had a double-double, collecting 42 set assists and 11 points. Keala Kaio-Perez finished the game with 13 digs along with three points, while Rabanal had five digs. Maraea O'Connor finished with three digs, Manu had six points, two aces, and two digs; Gerotto had six points and three aces; Ernest had two points; and Picht had three digs.
WNCC was even more impressive in the three games they won against NJC. After the Cougars took the first game with ease, WNCC had the momentum in game two, holding a 19-16 lead only to watch NJC come back for a 21-19 lead. After that it was back and forth before NJC won 31-29.
The third game was tight at the beginning with both teams knotted at 9-9. Picht then had a kill and Andrade three points for a 13-9 lead. The Cougars stretched it out to 20-12 behind three points from Kaio-Perez. Ernest followed with two points and then Gerotto finished it off with a kill.
The fourth game was back and forth early before WNCC started to widen the lead behind kills from Rabanal and Ernest and then some clutch serving by Rabanal. WNCC led 19-11 at one time and went on to win 25-17.
Andrade finished with a triple-double against NJC with 44 set assists, 14 digs, 12 points and had two kills. Gerotto and Rabanal each had double-doubles. Gerotto had 15 kills and 10 points, while Rabanal had 10 kills, 14 digs, and eight points.
Also for the Cougars, Picht had 15 kills; Tiumalu had seven kills and two digs; Ernest had seven points and six digs; O'Connor had six digs, two digs, and two set assists; Manu had 10 digs and eight points; and Kaio-Perez had 15 digs, nine points, and two set assists.
WNCC will either face Otero or NJC in the championship. Otero and NJC will battle at 10 a.m.
In other action in the tournament, NJC topped Otero 27-29, 26-22, 25-18, 25-18; Otero eliminated Lamar 25-16, 25-19, 25-22, Trinidad eliminated McCook 25-14, 25-16, 25-18, and Otero stayed alive by beating Trinidad in the final match of the day 25-13, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22.