It will be a showdown of two Top 10 teams when the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team takes on Iowa Western Community College Wednesday at Cougar Palace.
The Reivers enter the contest ranked No. 3 in the NJCAA polls with a 13-0 record, while the Cougars are sitting at 7-2 and ranked No. 7 in the polls. First serve of the Top 10 battle is slated for 7 p.m.
WNCC coach Giovana Melo is excited for the home-opener.
“On top of them being a really good team as well as really good competition, Iowa Western has been playing really well. Plus, they are ranked above us,” the third-year head coach said. “It is one of the biggest matches that we have had at home. It will be a really good match and I hope the crowd comes and supports us.”
The match-up pits two teams that have been in the national tournament hunt the past four years. In 2006, Iowa Western captured its first national title by defeating WNCC in the finals in West Plains, Mo. The next year, the Cougar women captured the national championship over Miami Dade. The past two seasons, the Cougars have finished third at the national tournament while Iowa Western finished fourth in 2008 and fifth last season.
Both national powers have started this season well. The Reivers have been enjoying plenty of success so far after running through the competition of the Raider Classic in Columbus over the weekend by not dropping one game. The Reivers, in the 13 matches, have lost just one game so far and that was to Midland Lutheran College.
Melo said Iowa Western will be a stern test. The Reivers feature three players 6-foot or taller.
“They have a lot of options and they have really good hitters,” Melo said. “They run a 6-2 offense, so they have three hitters in the front the whole time. It is hard to defend a team like that. They have a lot of power and we will have to try to stop them.”
The Reivers have seven sophomores on the roster, including 6-2 Suzy Ni Xu of China, 6-0 Brianna Cox of Bothwll, Washington, 6-0 Aubrey Cook of Lizton, Ind., , 5-10 Mariana Lisboa of Brazil, 5-10 Tarrah Sweet of Roswell, N.M., 5-9 Lacey Alexander of Cedar, Iowa, and 5-7 Kylee Moore of North Platte.
Cook is the team’s leading hitter with 81 kills so far this season followed by Lisboa with 74 and Alexander with 69.
Melo said they will need to be consistent to come away with a victory against a talented team like Iowa Western.
“One thing I have been talking about is that if we have to be consistent through the whole match,” she said. “If we can do that, then we can be in the game against them and hopefully get a win. But, our team has been really inconsistent so far and if we are going to be inconsistent against really good teams, we won’t be able to finish. I think we will have to be really consistent especially with our serves, as well be disciplined to beat them.”
The Cougar women should be well rested for the Top 10 showdown after having a week off. The Cougars last played last Tuesday against Eastern Wyoming. Melo feels the break came at the right time.
“I think it was a really good time for us to have this weekend off,” she said. “I think they will come in a little bit refreshed and ready to go, and ready to start again. I think it will be good for us. It was a good time to give them a little break.”
After Wednesday’s home opener, the Cougars will travel to Sterling, Colo., for the Pizza Hut Classic. The Cougars will have four matches beginning with facing the Hastings College Junior Varsity No. 2 team at 6 p.m. Friday followed by Colorado Northwestern at 8 p.m. Saturday’s schedule will see the Cougars face Hastings College Junior Varsity No. 1 team at 11 a.m. followed by the New Mexico Military Institute at 1 p.m.
Iowa Western will travel to Sterling, Colo., to face Northeastern Junior College on Thursday before competing in the Pizza Hut Invite as well.
Volleyball Notes:
l Wednesday’s home opener is “Help Spike Hunger Night” where individuals who bring in a non-perishable food item will get $1 off their ticket price. All donations go to the Valley Mobile Food Pantry.
l Season tickets for the upcoming season can now be purchased at the Cougar athletic offices. Volleyball season passes are $30 for an adult, $18 for a student. Volleyball and basketball season tickets are $75 for an adult, $40 for a student, or $85 for a reserved seat-back chair. Senior and family passes area also available for volleyball and basketball season. Senior passes are $35 while a family pass is $300.
All-sport passes, which includes softball, baseball and soccer on top of volleyball and basketball games, are also available. The prices include $50 for a senior citizen, $100 for a student, $175 for an adult, and a family pass for $400. The family pass includes two adult and two student tickets.
Tickets can be purchased in person in the athletic office located around the top of the gym or by calling 308-635-6151.
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