CASPER, Wyo. – The 4th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will play for a regional championship after sweeping past Laramie County Community College 25-23, 25-12, 25-15 to advance to the Northwest Plains A title game at the Region IX tournament in Casper, Wyoming, Friday evening.
The Cougars, who moved to 31-3 on the season while winning their 14th straight match, will face Central Wyoming College for the regional title and the automatic berth into the NJCAA national tourney that will be played Nov. 17-19 in West Plains, Missouri. Central Wyoming defeated Northeastern Junior College in four sets 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15. The regional title match will be between the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the latest NJCAA national poll.
It was a big win for the Cougars who struggled in the five-set win over Casper on Wednesday. Thursday, it was a totally different Cougar team.
"We all came together to play as a team and it started from the bench and it fed onto the girls on the court," AK Chavez, who finished with 13 digs, said. "That helped pump us up and keep pushing."
Erica Fava, who finished with nine kills and 10 digs, said the first set wasn't the best, but they found that groove in the second.
"It was rough at the beginning; we didn't have a lot of energy," Fava said. "But we picked it up and we just played our game."
The big difference in today's performance over Wednesday's win was energy and it really showed in the second and third-set with some long rallies and some hustling defensive plays which included saving balls outside the court.
"The difference definitely was the energy," Fava said. "We had more energy today and we were more composed. We didn't make as many mistakes."
Chavez agreed that the team's energy today was totally different from Wednesday's contest.
"Yesterday (Wednesday) was definitely not our best. We knew we had to come together today and play because we know what we are capable of," the Cougar libero said. "Our energy made a huge difference in this game. We celebrated each point or good thing we did and it motivated us to do more."
Now, the Cougars will play for a regional title. The last time the Cougars captured a regional championship was in April 2021 and they won that title on the Casper College floor. The players are excited that they get that opportunity.
"It means a lot, especially after last year," Fava said. "We worked really hard this season to be where we are now. (Friday) we just have to play our game and stay together. We need every single person one through 18."
Chavez said whoever they play, it will not be an easy match come Friday evening, but the Cougar players are hungry for a regional title.
"We know it's not gonna be easy but we're definitely ready for what's coming," Chavez said. "We know we're here for a reason, all we have to do is want it more than the other team and play for each other. We just need to keep our composure, limit our errors, and come out aggressive and hungry to win."
The first set was a battle but featured only four ties at one, two, three and four points. WNCC tied the game for the final time with a Fava kill at 4-4 and then Alex Hernandez served two points for a 6-4 lead. The lead stayed close as LCCC got to within one on several occasions, but WNCC never relinquished the lead.
In fact, the Cougars built a 15-8 lead after five Shanelle Martinez service points and led 21-14 on an Ale Meoni kill. WNCC led 23-17 when LCCC made a late comeback, slicing the lead to 23-21 and later 24-23 after an ace serve. WNCC finished off the set on a Meoni kill and the 25-23 win.
The second set saw WNCC jump to a 5-1 lead on three Jenna Curtis points and led 10-3 after two Meoni points, including an ace serve. WNCC kept playing well, pushing the lead to 16-7 on a Hernandez kill for a sideout and then a Hernandez point. WNCC pushed the lead to 20-10 on two Meoni points and won the set 25-12 as Curtis had a kill and Chavez served the final two points.
WNCC played just as intense in the third set as they trailed 1-0 but took control leading 4-1 and then 9-3. LCCC got to within 10-6, but an Emmalei Mapu kill and then three Fava kills pushed the lead to 14-6.
WNCC went up double digits after two Martinez points at 19-8 and led 21-9 after a Curtis kill and service point. The Golden Eagles fought back to get to within 21-13, but a Maya Angelova point made it 23-13 and then Fava ended the match with a kill and the 25-15 win.
Curtis led the Cougars with 12 kills while also tallying six digs and six points. Meoni finished with 10 kills along with three digs and four points. Fava had nine kills with 10 digs and five points.
The Cougars also got 41 set assists, 12 points, and six digs from Martinez while Chavez had 13 digs with three points. Lexi Keoho had four digs followed by Mapu with seven kills and a solo block; and Hernandez with five kills, two digs, and six points.
Friday's schedule will pit McCook against NJC at noon while Otero will face LCCC at 2 p.m. in the Northwest Plains B bracket with the winners advancing to Saturday with a chance to play for the B regional title. The loser of Friday's championship game will move into the Northwest Plains B championship that will be played at 4 p.m. for the second automatic berth to the national tourney.
Other scores in the tournament on Thursday saw McCook top Casper College in four sets 25-20, 25-18, 23-25, 25-19, while Otero out-dueled Northwest College in five sets 16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 29-31, 15-13.