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The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team received a scare Saturday in the final day of the Wyo-Braska Shootout Volleyball tournament against Colby Community College.

But it was only a minor scare as the Cougar women fought back from a first game deficit to sweep the Trojan women 32-30, 30-17, 30-12 to win all seven matches in the tournament and push their record to 31-1 on the season. WNCC has also won 22 straight matches since falling to Salt Lake Community College Sept. 1, and also have won 50 straight games.

“We don’t play against for a whole week and hopefully we can continue to work hard in practice and get better. We still need to work on some things. We still need to keep improving. Our goal is to win a Region IX title again and to do that, we saw a much improved NJC team, who were also undefeated in the tournament. They are rolling along too and we hope we continue getting better and playing the best we can at the end of the year.”

Eastern Wyoming College also picked up two wins Saturday, earning a forfeit win over Miles Community College and then defeated McCook Community College 30-20, 33-31, 30-22.

Besides WNCC, Northeastern Junior College also finished the tournament undefeated as they defeated Casper College 30-23, 30-19, 30-26 on Saturday.

For the Cougars, though, it was a heart-wrenching first-game win that led the Cougars to the sweep.

“If we don’t win the first game, they would have had a lot more enthusiasm and confidence going into second game. It is hard to play error-free volleyball game after game. I think they had a great game plan in that first game, but then we came out and took care of business in that second and third game.”

The Cougars were behind the eight ball most of the game trailing 13-9 and 18-12 at one stretch. Daphine Da Silva then served five straight points, including two aces, to tie things at 18.

Colby, though, kept playing strong running to a 29-25 lead. WNCC then got the ball back on a missed Colby serve and proceeded to tie things at 29 and later 30 on three Da Silva points and two huge Aida Bauza kills. A Chelsea Lyles block and a Bauza kill ended the game with the Cougars on top 32-30.

WNCC then swept through the final two games with little trouble in allowing just 29 points in the two games for Colby.

“Colby played a great match. They didn’t make any mistakes and their hitters were hitting around us and putting the ball down,” Green said. “If we don’t win the first game, they would have had a lot more enthusiasm and confidence going into second game. It is hard to play error-free volleyball game after game. I think they had a great game plan in that first game, but then we came out and took care of business in that second and third game.”

WNCC finished the match with an whopping 30 blocks, nine each from Soriana Pacheco and Fatima Balza. Lyles also had six, Jennifer Eichler had four and Bauza at two.

“We adjust very well to what the other team’s hitters are doing and our blockers are able to adjust and that is why you see a difference in game two and three scores [compared to game one],” Green said. “We really were able to shut down their offense with their block.”

Da Silva finished the match with 19 points, three aces, 10 kills and eight digs. Also for WNCC, Balza had five points, nine digs and three digs; Pacheco had four points, 37 set assists, seven kills and six digs; Nayka Benitez had seven points and nine digs; Kendra Schauermann had eight points and 10 digs; Stacie Meisner had four points and three digs; Bauza had 13 kills and three digs; and Lyles had five kills.

WNCC will next be in action Saturday when they host McCook Community College at 5 p.m.

In other tourney scores, Laramie County beat McCook 30-13, 30-20, 30-21; Western Wyoming beat Air Force Prep 30-20, 30-17, 30-17; Seward County over Sheridan college 30-13, 30-32, 30-27, 30-19; Northeastern Colorado over Casper 30-23, 30-19, 30-26; and Northwest Wyoming over Trinidad State 30-22, 30-23, 30-24.