WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Western Nebraska Community College’s bid for a first-ever national championship came up short as the Iowa Western Community College Reivers sparkled offensively and defensively in earning the National Junior College Athletic Association title Wednesday evening.
The Reivers won the title in sweeping fashion earning a 36-34, 31-29, 30-22 win over the previously No. 1 ranked Cougars. Iowa Western’s Luciana Rapach tallied 14 kills and 14 digs to earn the tournament Most Valuable Award. The honors, the national title and MVP honor, came as a surprise for Rapach.
“It is just unbelievable. I never expected that,” the sophomore from Porto Alegre, Brazil said. “We worked so hard this year and we worked together. We played so good together and everybody did a great job. Our defense was unbelieveable. We dug up every ball.”
Iowa Western coach Terry Gamble said the win is great for his school, but he also considers Western Nebraska a No. 1 team as well. It was just that his Reivers got the win Wednesday night.
“It is a national championship match so it is a huge win for us. It is a great win for this school and it is great to bring home a national championship,” he said. “Western Nebraska is a great team. We happened to win tonight and fortunate to win tonight. I still consider them as one of the best in the country and we happened to win tonight.”
WNCC coach Chris Green was a little down after the match wondering what happened to his team’s stellar defense that was near flawless throughout the tournament.
“We came in thinking we would pass and play defense better then they would, and you have to give them credit, they passed and played defense better then we did,” Green said.
Still, Green is pleased with the season his team had. The Cougars finished the year at 56-2, which is the best winning percentage in school history. It was also the team’s highest placing at a national tournament.
“it was a great season, but not a great night,” he said. “We didn’t pass well and we couldn’t get our offense going. It was a frustrating night for us. Iowa Western was the team that frustrated us and they played a great match. The first two games, we had a couple of missed opportunities. In Game one we had an opportunity for game point on a free ball hit and didn’t get it accomplished and then in game two we had an over pass to put us ahead 30-29, and that didn’t happen either. A point here and a point there, and this match might be different.”
The first game went back and forth with Iowa Western leading for most of the match until Bianca Rivera went on a six-point scoring run to put the Cougars up 25-21. Iowa Western came back and went up 30-29 before a Shawntell Jones kill stopped game points.
From there, it was back and forth until Julia Kenealy hammered home a kill for the Reivers and then served the next two points for the game one win.
Game two saw the Cougars come back from a 22-14 deficit to tie the score on a Leticia Kuhn kill and Kendra Schauermann service point. Tourney MVP Rapach stopped the momentum with a kill and then Juliana Paz had back-to-back kills for the win.
Green said losing those two games in heartbreaking fashion was momentum killers for his team.
“After losing those first two games the way we did, being so close, it really took the win out of sails,” Green said. “In the third game they had the momentum and they kept it in the third game.”
Leticia Kuhn paced the Cougars with a double-double with 27 kills and 15 digs. Jenny Eichler also had a big match finishing with 19 kills and three blocks. Barbara Freitas had six blocks and five digs, while Soriana Pacheco had 47 set assists, seven digs, five points, two aces and four kills.
Schauermann finished with three kills, five points and 12 digs, while Bianca Rivera had 15 digs an six points.
Iowa Western was paced by Paz’ 18 kills, while Rapach ahd 14 kills and 14 digs. Gabby Pfannenstiel led both teams with 24 digs, while Paz had 16 digs. Rachel Green also has 10 digs. Kerley Becker finished with nine kills followed by Julie Kennedy with eight points.
For WNCC, Rivera, Kuhn and Pacheco all made the all-tournament team.
In other action in national tournament, University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith overcame a 10-4 and 14-10 fifth game deficit to down Miami-Dade Community College 28-30, 30-26, 30-27, 22-30, 16-14 for ninth place; Hutchinson Community College needed four games to get past San Jacinto College 30-16, 32-30, 30-24, 30-26 for fifth place; Blinn College overcame Frank Phillips College in five games 23-30, 30-19, 28-30, 30-17, 15-12 for fifth place; and Missouri State-West Plains needed five games to down North Idaho 30-17, 21-30, 26-30, 30-22, 15-13.
No comments:
Post a Comment