WNCC volleyball set for final home match of the season on Thursday against No. 9 NJC

The Western Nebraska Community College and Northeastern Junior College volleyball match Thursday night will not only be a match-up of two top 10 teams, but it will be the final game that seven sophomores will be playing in Cougar Palace.

Thursday’s final regular season contest before regionals is set for a 7 p.m. first serve. The contest will also be “Yellow-Out” night as individuals are asked to wear yellow to brighten up the palace.

The night will also be special for the seven sophomores, Mackenzie Westphal, Ariel Austin, Kathryn Stock, Sierra Schmidt, Tania Torres, Emily Hoehn, and Kuulei Kabalis. The seven have been a part of a two-year record of 77-7.

Schmidt, a Gering High graduate, said there could be some tears shed before and after the game as they get ready to embrace their final match at Cougar Palace with great warmth.

“I think it will be pretty good to play that last home game just because of the fact that it is the last time to play on our home court and for some of us, it will be the last time we will be playing altogether,” Schmidt said. “I think it should be a pretty intense game with everybody getting into it.”

The Cougar women, fresh off their sweep of Iowa Western Community College on Tuesday, come into the contest ranked No. 4 in the nation with a 35-3 record. The Cougars have won 16 straight matches, their longest of the season.

NJC, who enters with a lofty No. 9 ranking and a 28-5 record, came oh-so-close of upending the Cougars last week in Sterling. WNCC, however, stung the Plainswomen in five sets 25-17, 21-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-9.

Schmidt said she is hoping they bring the same type of energy to the court they did Tuesday night in Council Bluffs.

“I am hoping the intensity from that game carries on for tomorrow [Thursday]. We need to keep up the intensity like we did against Iowa Western because we did a good job of staying consistent throughout the whole match.

But, it is more important to play their game and not worry about NJC.

“You can always expect, but you can’t always predict, and what I am hoping for is that we just play a tough game,” Schmidt said. “I don’t really care how [NJC] plays; I just hope our team plays well since it is our last home game and the last chance for some of us to prove what we got because not everyone will be able to go to regionals or nationals to watch us, so it is really our last showing.”

For sure Thursday final home game will have tears shed because of the friendships and memories that the players have encountered.

“Usually coach does something really nice for us and at the beginning of the game we are sometimes worked up,” Schmidt said. “But, we can just play for her, ourselves, and the crowd since it is the last chance to play at home for them all.”

Schmidt said that she has accumulated a lot of memories and made new friends in her two years at WNCC. As for her playing days next year, it is still up in the air.

“I am not sure yet if I will play or not. It just depends if I get a scholarship somewhere. If I do, I definitely consider it,” she said. “But, I don’t think it will ever be my last night playing for sure because I will probably go on and do some other stuff with volleyball if I don’t go on to play at another college somewhere.”