The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team has even more to play for now after the NJCAA released its Division I volleyball pre-season polls on Wednesday.
WNCC, who finished eighth at the national tournament a year ago, enters the season as the 6th-ranked team. It is an honor that the team will take, but they realize they have to play up to the lofty ranking.
"Coming out of last year as eighth, I think it is a relief that we are ranked sixth but it also gives us more of a challenge," Brooke Kaawa, a sophomore from Hawaii said. "This is a big motivation. A lot of our teammates are freshmen and being sixth will give them more motivation because I think they would want to stay sixth or get better as we improve as the season goes along."
WNCC has been ranked in the top 10 for pre-season rankings for nine straight years, earning pre-season number one rankings in 2011 and 2013. Last year, WNCC was ranked No. 2 in the pre-season polls.
Kaawa said the rankings will keep the team motivated.
"It is a good thing, but it is also a challenging thing," Kaawa said. "Sixth in the nation is big; you are high up there. It is a lot of responsibility and being able to hold being number six and even better is something we have to work on."
WNCC is just one of three Region IX teams in the rankings. Northwest College enters at No. 15 and Laramie County Community College earned honorable mention recognition.
The Cougars will open the pre-season schedule on Friday at a pre-season tourney in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they will face Laramie County in the opening match. They will also meet up with Eastern Wyoming, Western Wyoming, and Northeastern Junior College.
Kaawa said the team is ready to get things started after going through two-a-days for the last three weeks.
"We have been having double days for three weeks already and we are getting there," Kaawa said. "We are ready for the season. We are ready for Friday. We are getting there."
Miami-Dade, who won the national title a year ago, is the top ranked team followed by Panola College, Iowa Western Community College, Polk State, and Salt Lake Community College.
WNCC will open the season on Aug. 25-26 when they face three teams in the rankings. Besides Iowa Western, the Cougars will take on Indian Hills Community College, ranked 7th, and Hillsborough, who received honorable mention votes.
WNCC, however, is up to the task. Kaawa said there is plenty of talent on this year's team.
"There is a lot of talent on this team," she said. "I think if we keep improving on a daily basis and keep working hard every day in practice, I think we will be able to show people that we deserve to be ranked sixth."
NJCAA Pre-season Rankings
1, Miami Dade, Florida
2, Panola, Texas
3, Iowa Western
4, Polk State, Florida
5, Salt Lake, Utah
6, WNCC
7, Indian Hills, Iowa
8, Southern Idaho
9, Missouri State-West Plains
10, Central Florida
11, Snow, Utah
12, Palm Beach State, Florida
13, Arizona Western
14, Daytona State, Florida
15, Northwest Wyoming
16, Santa Fe, Florida
17, Tyler, Texas
18, Seward County, Kansas
19, San Jacinto, Texas
20, Mineral Area, Missouri