The No. 4-ranked WNCC Cougars responded in dramatic fashion, coming back to register an exciting 18-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-11, 15-13 victory for their 15th win on the season. It was a win that put a smile not only WNCC coach Giovana Melo but the players as well as they exited Swede Erickson gymnasium.
““In the first two sets, they did not look like the same team, they looked completely lost and they looked like they never played volleyball,” Melo said. “Sets like that happen, and it was happening to every single one of them and not just one person who wasn’t playing well; everybody was pretty much out of it.
“I tried to keep my patience and to keep their patience. I just had to try to bring them back to the team we really are and I think, slowly, we were able to do that. Those starts happen and obviously Casper came out and did a good job against us.”
The win was also the first time the Cougars won a five-set contest after trailing 2-0 since Oct. 14, 2005, against Hutchinson Community College at the Seward Invite. The win was also reminiscent of last year’s national tournament third-place match with Iowa Western Community College, which they had to win in five sets. In that match they had to play with heart and they needed that again Tuesday.
“The difference between the second set and the last three was the team was playing with more heart,” assistant coach Nicole Gonzalez said. “They were down after the first two sets and they were not playing with heart. In the last three they played with a lot of heart to get the win.”
After falling behind two sets, WNCC won a tough third set 25-21 and then breezed to the fourth set win 25-11. The fifth set proved to be a nail biter. WNCC took a 7-4 lead early before Casper came storming back, tying the match at 8-8. The Cougars responded on kills by Kathryn Stock and Paulina Piegza to take a 10-8 lead.
Casper called a timeout and came back to tie the game three more times, the final time at 13-13. Stock then hammered home a kill before Kuulei Kabalis serving up the final point for the winner.
Kaleinani Kabalis had a near 20-20, finishing the contest with 19 kills and 20 digs. She also had two assisted blocks and four points.
WNCC finished the contest with 55 total kills. After Kaleinani, Stock chipped in 17 kills and one solo block; Paulina Piegza has 12 kills and two assisted blocks; and Brooke Blomenkamp had seven kills.
Also for the Cougars, Sabina Piegza had a double-double with 13 digs and 43 set assists, while Cami Wiemer had 12 digs; Kuulei Kabalis getting nine digs, nine points and an ace; Emily Hoehn collecting 14 digs; Tania Torres getting five blocks; and Sierra Schmidt serving four points.
Melo credits Casper for coming out and playing well, but she also believes this is a wake-up call for her team.
“It seemed like everything they did in the first two sets, was working just right for them. I am glad we came back and pulled it out,” she said. “It was a wake-up call. It came down to yesterday where the same thing was like today. I told them that you play the way you practiced and you can get beat. Hopefully this is a point that I am proving that you play all the way.”
WNCC will next be in action Thursday as they co-host the Wyo-Braska Shootout along with Eastern Wyoming College. WNCC will face Air Force Prep at noon Thursday followed by Sheridan College at 4 p.m. The Cougars will then have three matches on Friday as they take on Colby at 10 a.m. followed by No. 18 Laramie County Community College at 2 p.m. and then No. 20 Northwest Wyoming at 8 p.m. The Cougars will wrap up the Shootout with a contest against Western Wyoming Saturday at 10 a.m.
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