COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team earned a split of matches on Saturday in the Reiver Classic on Saturday.

                The Cougars opened the day by falling to Indian Hills Community College in straight sets 25-23, 25-22, 25-19. WNCC rebounded in the second match, sweeping past Jefferson College 25-22, 26-24, 25-19.

                Both contests were close. In the Indian Hills match, WNCC and Indian Hills battled tooth and nail in the first match with neither team getting long service runs before Indian Hills won 25-23.

                The second set saw Indian Hills go on a 8-0 run to lead 10-4 and later 17-10 before Olivia Transafiguracion had three service points to bring the Cougars to 17-14. WNCC cut the lead to two a couple times, but Indian Hills won 25-22.

                The third set saw Indian Hills jump out to a 5-0 lead and led 14-8 later on . WNCC kept battling back, slicing the lead to 19-15 on two Gabriele Canavati points, but they couldn't get any closer.

                Transifiuracion finished the match with six points while Leslie Mamai-Lagafuaina had three, and Canavati, Karen Cordero, Anabelle Gillen, and Ana Costas each had two.

                WNCC rebounded from the morning loss and played strong against Jefferson. Jefferson started the contest running to a 9-4 lead. WNCC took its first lead of the match with two Gillen service points and led 15-11 after Cordero had three points. Jefferson tied the set at 21 before Luisa Beining had a kill and then Mamai-Lagafuaina had two points for the 25-22 win.

                The second set was a back and forth contest with both teams collecting big runs. WNCC jumped to a 13-9 lead after Cordero went on a 4-point run. It didn't last long as Jefferson went on three service runs to hold a 20-17 lead.

                Jefferson later led 22-18 when Costas served for three points to tie the set at 22. After a Mamai-Lagafuaina kill, Gillen served the final three points for the 26-24 win.

                The Cougars led from start to finish in game three. WNCC led 10-5 after two Cordero points and led 15-8 after Mamai-Lagafuaina had four points.

                Jefferson fought back with a 4-point service run to come within 20-17 and later 22-19. Beining stopped the momentum with a kill and then Andrea Tsvetanova had two service points, including an ace, to finish off Jefferson.

                Cordero led the team with nine service points followed by Mamai-Lagafuaina with eight, Costas with seven, Gillen with five, and Tsvetanova with four.

                Tsvetanova tallied 40 set assists in the win, while also getting three ace serves and five solo blocks. Luisa Beining led the team in kills with 13 followed by Mamai-Lagafuaina with 11 kills, seven solo blocks, and 11 assist blocks. Gabriela Canavati tallied eight kills with four solo blocks, while Cordero had six kills, three aces, and three solo blocks.

                Costas led the team with 17 digs followed by Codero with 14, Tsvetanova with nine, and six each from Mamai-Lagafuaina and Beining.

                WNCC, 2-2, will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to Torrington, Wyoming, to face Eastern Wyoming College.