fWNCC win thrilling five-set contest against Northeastern Colorado

STERLING, Colo. – Deborah Araujo finished with 20 kills and 21 digs, and Tania Torres finished with 10 blocks in helping the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team escape Northeastern Junior College in a five-set thriller 25-16, 21-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-9.

The match-up between the No. 4 Cougars and No. 11 Plainswomen was all that as the Cougars were down two sets to one and down 15-13 in the fourth set. Torres said the way they played in the fourth and fifth set to win the match was all the will to win.

“It was our energy and the fact that we wanted it,” the 6-1 middle hitter from Puerto Rico said. “We put everything we had on the court. We played with our heart and we didn’t give up at any moment. That was the difference. In the sets that we lost, we kind of gave up on the ball. We weren’t playing together, our energy had dropped, and we were in that roller coaster of going up and down. But those two last sets, our energy was unbelievable and that is why we won.”

Literally, the Cougars were completely taken out of the match in the second and third sets as the Plainswomen dug practically every ball and hit through the block of the Cougars frontline. NJC’s turn around in those two sets was dramatic because the Cougars completely dominated the first set, winning 25-16.

In the next two sets, the Plainswomen played like a top five team, led by sophomore Karen Rivatto. Rivatto finished with a double-double of 18 kills and 19 digs with the most of those kills coming in those two sets.

NJC started the fourth set on a tear, grabbing a 7-4 lead and later leading 15-13. Both teams went back and fourth like two prize fighters until Scottsbluff’s Mackenzie Westphal served up two points to put WNCC up 21-19. It didn’t last as NJC fought back tying the set at 21-21 and later at 22-22. That was when NJC had a service rotation mistake that gave WNCC the point and the momentum.

Araujo then hammered home a thundering kill and served the final point to force a decisive fifth set.

Ataujo started the fourth set with four straight service points, before the Plainswomen fought their way back to cut the deficit to 8-7 on a Rivatto kill. Things changed in a heartbeat after that as Araujo hammered home a kill and Fernanda Goncalves served three points for a 12-7 lead. WNCC kept the momentum going as Araujo had another clutch kill before Ariel Austin hammered the final kill for the Cougars 32^nd win of the season.

Torres said that this win helps by showing how the team can comeback after facing adversity.

“Losing the second and third sets was more that our minds were off,” she said. “It wasn’t our frustration, it was we weren’t focusing and we weren’t playing together. The crowd being loud also played a factor because we weren’t used to that and they got us out of our game. But we came back.

Winning that fourth set showed that we never give up.”

Several Cougars stepped up in different situations. Araujo pasce the team with 20 kills, five blocks, 21 digs, three aces and 10 points; while Austin had eight kills and four blocks;

Also for the Cougars, Kathryn Stock had six kills, nine digs, three aces and six points; Lais Soares had five kills and three blocks; Torres had four kills and 10 blocks; Goncalves with 37 set assists and 15 points; Kuulei Kabalis with 27 digs; Westphal with two digs and two points; and Emily Hoehn with eight digs and six points.

WNCC, 32-3, will next be in action Friday when they host McCook Community College at 6 p.m. They will then host Casper College on Saturday in Think Pink Night at The Palace. The two sub-region rivals will meet up on the court once more as the Plainswomen come to Cougar Palace on Oct. 28.