TRINIDAD, Colo. – The 6th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team took care of business and swept to their 23rd win of the season with a 25-12, 25-20, 25-22 win over Trinidad State College in Region IX South conference action Friday night in Trinidad, Colorado.
It was the Cougars sixth straight win as they head into a conference match on Saturday against Otero College in LaJunta, Colorado.
The Cougars, 23-3 on the season, started Friday's contest strong as Ale Meoni served nine straight points for a 12-2 lead and the Cougars led 17-5 after three Jenna Curtis points. WNCC pushed the lead to 20-6 on a Emmalei kill and two Shanelle Martinez points and won the first set 25-12 on a Curtis kill.
The second set was a little scarier as Trinidad took a 7-3 lead after three service points. Maya Angelova tied the set with a kill and then two service points. Trinidad came back to grab a 10-7 lead before Martinez had four service points, including two aces for a 12-10 lead. Meoni later added three more service points and a 19-13 lead.
Trinidad came back and cut the Cougars' lead to 19-18, but a missed serve gave the service back to WNCC and Angelova had two points for a 22-18 lead and then Jayla Brehmer closed out the second set with two ace serves and the 25-20 win.
AK Chavez started the third set for WNCC with four straight points and a 5-1 lead. WNCC pushed the lead to 13-6 on four points from Charli Blackman. Trinidad tried coming back in cutting the lead to 20-17, but Chavez served two points for a 23-17 lead and then the Cougars won the match 25-22.
WNCC only had three players with a double-figure statistic. Martinez had 27 set assists along with four digs, six points, and two aces. Erica Fava had 11 kill with eight digs and two points, while Meoni had 12 points with two aces, three kills, and three assisted blocks.
Also for the Cougars, Curtis had four kills, four points, and five digs; Angelova had three kills, fouir points, and two assisted blocks; Alex Hernandez had four kills; Mapu had three kills; and Juliana Oliveira had three kills and two assisted blocks.
The Cougars also got two points, two aces and a kill from Brehmer, while Blackman had four digs and four points. Chavez finished with seven digs; and Paige Nakanelua had three digs.
All the players suited up played and got some kind of statistic. Shae Hardy had an assist with a dig; Angel Nahinu had a kill, Autumn Bennett had an assisted block, and Megan Bewley had three serve receive attempts.