The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team had their backs to the ropes in the third place match of the NJCAA national volleyball tournament against No. 1 Iowa Wetern Community College. Down 2 sets to 1, the Cougars found that extra heart that first-year coach Giovana Melo was stressing in the timeouts, and the Cougars earned an exciting five-set win agaisnt the Reivers 25-20, 24-26, 24-26, 25-21, 15-8. It was the Cougars record-setting 59th win of the season. It was also the Cougars third straight top three finish at nationals.
“This team never gave up no matter what,” Melo said. “The thing I am most happy about is this team has fought and fought evey point here at the national tournament. I couldn’t be any more prouder. They did awesome.”
WNCC needed every bit of their fight to succumb a talented Iowa Western squad and they did it with a team effort. Freshman Kaleinani Kabalis and sophomore Nayka Benitez finished with double-doubles in the win. Kabalis pounded home a match-high 22 kills and had 10 digs. Kabalis also had six points, including the match winning ace serve.
WNCC also landed two players on the all-tournament team as Kabalis and sophomore Palomo Alvarez earned the honors.
Benitez turned in a steller defensive effort. The 5-3 ½ libero finished with 15 digs, 12 points and six aces.
“It felt like we worked together and we felt like no one could stop us when we came back. It felt so right,” Kabalis said. “We put everything together and we did it. It was very intense and I though we played very well.”
Benitez credits the win not only to her teammates, but also Melo, who never gave up on the sidelines, giving inspirational speeches during the timeouts to keep their heads up.
“She is a awesome coach. She always talked to us to keep focusing on winning the game,” Benitez said. “She never gave up. She always said in the timeout you guys have to fight every time. She brings so much energy to us. That is why we won the game.”
The Cougard didn’t need too much energy in the opening set, running out to a 6-1 lead and led 14-8 on a Paloma Alvarez kill. Iowa western fought back thanks to eight missed serves by the Cougars, cutting the lead to 19-17 on a block.
Both squads traded points back and fourth until three Kabalis kills, including the set winner, gave the Cougars the win.
Benitez started set two sizzling, serving four straight aces to give WNCC a 5-0 lead. Iowa Western fought back tying the contest on a missed serve. Still, the Cougars were in good shape, jumping out to a 19-14 lead on three Alvarez serves as WNCC was in prime shape to capture the win.
The Reivers had other ideas, fighting back to tie the set at 21-21 on three serves by Andrea Rojas. WNCC would come back and take a 24-22 lead, only to watch Iowa Western’s madison Hardy with the final three points to even the match.
Set three was a reverse of of set two as Iowa Western jumped all over WNCC holding a 16-10 lead at one time. WNCC didn’t quite ad Balza served three points to slice the lead to 18-17. The Reivers came back and were up 24-19 before a Paulina Piegza hammered home a kill.
Kabalis followed with four straight points to tie the set at 24-24. A missed serve and then a Coguar miss hit gave Iowa Western the 2-1 set lead.
This is where the Cougars recharged their energy as WNCC was a totally different team in set four as Alvarez served three straight points behind two Kabalis monster kills for a 6-3 lead. WNCC widened the lead to 16-7 on Benitez served four points.
Iowa Western fought back, slicing the lead to 22-20 on two Hardy serves, but Balza kill stopped the run with a kill and then Alvarez finished off the set with a kill to force the deciding fifthh set.
The fifth set was all WNCC as the Cougars were not to be denied bringing home a trophy. Benitez started things with three straight service points and then WNCC led 9-3 on a Balza kill. Iowa Western fought back slicing the lead to 9-6 on two Anna Wagner pionts.
Kabalis stopped the run with a kill and then Sabina Piegza had three service points to push the lead to 13-6. At that moment, it was a matter of time before the Cougars would get the win, and four rotations later, Kabalis had the ace serve that was too hot for the Reivers to return for the victory.
One of the big reasons for the win, Melo said, was because her team adjusted well. The team had 17 service errors in the five sets, 14 of which game in the first two sets. In the final three sets, the Cougars settled down and played their game.
“We were able to adjust to the problems we were having and we were able to come out and fight and do the things we had to do to win the match,” she said.
Alvarez finished the match with 16 kills, two blocks, five digs, eight points and two aces; while Balza had 13 kills, four assisted blocks, two solo blocks, nine points, two aces and two digs. Also for WNCC, Sabina Piegza had three digs, two kills and 53 set assists; Gregner Quinones had nine points and four digs; Cami Weimer had three blocks; and Paulina Piegza had nine kills and three blocks.
Melo, who guided the team to a school record 59 wins and a third place finish in her first year as a head coach, was about hearse after game because of the intense contest. She just told her team they accomplished a lot.
“One of the things I told them after the win was on top of them getting third, we were able to beat the teams that we lost to in the regular season in Miami Dade and iowa Western,” she said. “That is a huge accomplishment for us.”
The Cougars will lose three sophomroes from this year’s team – Balza, Alvarez and Benitez – and Melo said they were leaders all season.
“They carried this team and kept them together,” she said. “They were able to take the freshmen and teach them what this is all about.”
In the championship match, Blinn College rallied for a five-set win over the University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith claiming a 27-29, 19-25, 30-28, 25-19, 15-10 win to claim their first natioal championship.
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