TORRINGTON, Wyo. – The fifth-ranked Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team used strong serving with three players scoring double-figure points in posting their 11th win of the season with a 25-7, 25-14, 25-10 win over Eastern Wyoming College Wednesday evening at Torrington, Wyoming.

                   Erica Fava had a double-double of 12 points and 11 kills, while Jenna Curtis had 15 points, including 10 straight to start the match. Ale Meoni finished with 11 points and four aces.

                   Megan Bewley, who was called into playing libero duties for the match, said the serving game was huge for the team tonight.

                   "Our serving was big in our success tonight," she said. "Serving is something that we have really been focusing on in practice and I think that it really showed tonight. We reduced our missed serves and kept them out of system most of the time."

                   Bewley said overall, they just played a complete game from hitting to passing to the service game and every one contributed as all 16 players, who suited up, saw action with 10 different players registering a kill and 11 getting a service point.

                   "I think we really focused on our passing and putting it all together," the freshman from Scottsbluff said. "That (the depth) is definitely one of our strengths," she said. "We can put anybody from the bench in and be confident that they will do what they are supposed to."

                   WNCC started the match up 11-0 after Curtis reeled off 10 straight service points, including two aces and big kills from Fava and Emmalei Mapu. WNCC pushed the lead to 19-3 after a Fava kill and six Meoni points, including four aces. WNCC won the first set 25-7 on a Lexi Keohi point and a Maya Angelova block.

                   EWC woke up after the slow first set and played more inspired in the second set. Shanelle Martinez gave WNCC a 2-0 lead only to watch EWC come back to tie the set at 2-2 on a Halle Hogan ace serve. 

                   WNCC came back to lead 5-2 on two Curtis points, but the Lancers came right back to tie the set at 6-6 after two service points from Keelie Bunker. WNCC retook a 10-6 lead after a Meoni kill and then the sophomore outside hitter had four points.

                   WNCC pushed the lead to 16-9 on a Jayla Brehmer kill. EWC came right back as Hannah Pharr and Viktoria Sarbakova had a block and then Sarbokova had a service point to make it 16-11. After a missed serve, Curtis had one point before Anna Jasinsky finished off the service run with three points for a 22-11 lead. WNCC finally won the set on an Autumn Bennett kill.

                   The third set, once again, started out back and forth as WNCC led 3-0 after two Curtis points before the Lancers came back to cut the deficit to 5-4. WNCC got the service back on a Fava kill and then Fava went on a 9-point service run to make the score 17-4. During the service run, Curtis had a couple kills, while Angelova had a couple blocks, and Fava and Martinez each had a kill.

                   WNCC led 21-7 on a Meoni kill before EWC showed some spark as Sarbakova had a setter kill and then served up another ace to make it 21-9. WNCC got the service back after a missed serve and WNCC won the match 25-10 on a Bennett service point as Juliana Oliveira had the kill.

                   Curtis had six kills, three digs, two assisted blocks, 15 points, and four aces while Meoni had four kills, four aces, and 11 points. Oliveira had two kills and two points followed by Charli Blackman with three kills and a solo block.

                   Also for the Cougars, Keohi had two points, an ace, and a dig; Martinez had 21 set assists, six digs, two solo blocks, three points, and an ace; Jasinsky had three points; Bennett had a point and two kills; Angelova had three solo blocks, three assist blocks and a point; Brehmer had a kill, a solo block, and two points; and Mapu had two kills and a solo block.

                   WNCC will look to expand on their 11-1 record when they compete in the Pizza Hut Invite on Friday and Saturday when they will face No. 4 Indian Hills Community College Friday afternoon and then Hutchinson Community College Friday night. The Cougars will wrap up the invite on Saturday against Casper.

                   EWC, 0-10, will have a week off before they face Northeastern Junior College on Thursday, Sept. 15 at home in the first day of the Wyo-Braska Invite that continues Sept. 16 and 17.

                   Bewley said they just need to focus to play well this weekend. 

                   "We just need to focus mentally," she said. "I think physically we prepare in practice, but our biggest thing is focusing when it is time to play."