National champs!!!!!!

National Champs!

Yes, the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team brought home the championship trophy with a thundering win over Miami Dade College Saturday evening in the finals and they did it in dominating fashion.

The Cougars registered a 30-27, 30-26, 21-30, 30-22 win to earn the college’s first national championship. The win was especially sweat since the Cougars lost in last year’s national title contest.

“I can’t think of words right now. This is unbelievable,” sophomore Stacie Meisner said. “For the sophomores on the team, we worked two years for this after we didn’t win last year. Coming into this year, we need what it would take to get here and to get to this game. We worked so hard. We had a good group of freshman come in and they worked their butts off, too, along with us, because they wanted it as bad as we did. We had everything it took this year. This is such a great feeling right now. I probably will be on this high for about a month or so. This is really exciting and a really good tournament. All the support that we had made this win that much more special and that much more memorable."

For nine-year head coach Chris Green, who was smiling from ear to ear, it was a relieve.

“I am a little relieved. I am very proud of the players and proud of how we played tonight,” he said. “I am proud of our defense. Soriana did an excellent job, Our hitters, especially Aida Bauza, was on fire tonight. Jennifer Eichler has contributed so much these last two years. We got our back row players that played great defense again tonight and kept their big hitters becoming too dominant. That is all I can say. I am just proud of what these girls did tonight.”

What makes this win special is it is the first national title in school history.

“We are happy to represent Scottsbluff and bring a national championship back home,” Green said.

The Cougars will return home today and will be escorted into town with a police escort sometime in the afternoon. Also, there will be a celebration at the College gym Monday morning at 9:50 a.m. to welcome home the national champions.

But, the win was definitely was a team win for the Cougars as the Cougars provided plenty of kills, blocks and defensive digs in the win. In fact, for the second straight night, it was the Cougars defensive that proved golden. It was also the Cougars best performance in the tournament, and they saved it for last.

“We did play very well. The first two matches of this tournament didn’t look too well for us. Then the last two matches against Salt Lake and Miami Dade, we had to play better and we stepped it up when we did. You can’t say enough about the girls. They were working for every point and I am very proud for that.. Every single point they worked hard for.

“We had some great digs again and we had people in the right places. Those four players again including Daphine, Kendra and Nayka had great digs. There were people in the front row that had some great saves. We covered up ou4 hitters well. So, when we did get blocked, we were able to cover and set it up again and get another swing at their huge block. Our back row defense,”

The Cougars placed four players with double-digit digs, led by Nayka Benitez, the tournament’s top server award, with 17 kills. Daphine Da Silva tallied 13 digs, followed by Sorana Pacheco and Kendra Schauermann with 10 digs each.

Most of the damage, though, was provided by Aida Bauza, who collected 29 kills on the evening. Bauza also earned the tournament MVP award. Bauza said that she wasn’t expecting the individual honors.

“I can’t explain how I feel right now. I feel very happy, Bauza said. “I didn’t expect this. I am very excited about it. I played with just the heart but this is very important to me. I wanted to win the championship and I put all my heart into the match all the time.”

WNCC The Cougars put three players on the all-tournament team -- Bauza, Pacheco and Fatima Balza. Balza finished the championship with eight blocks and 13 kills. Pacheco had another super match finishing with 10 kills, 10 digs and 57 set assists.

The Cougars also were led by Chelsea Lyles with seven kills, Jennier Eichler with 16 kills, Shawntell Jones with three kills, four blocks and six points, Bauza with five digs to go with her her 29 kills.

Schauermann, who was a part of the Cougars’ superb defensive effort for a second straight night, said there is nothing that will top this feeling.

“This is amazing. This is the best feeling in my life,” the sophomore from Windsor, Colo., said. “After coming off of last year and that feeling that we lost, this is unbelievable. It is indescribable. I don’t think anything can top this feeling right. I did this all for my Grandpa. Before he passed away, he told me to get a ring for him. That is the first thing I though of.”

Well, Schauermann got that ring for her grandpa and for the rest of the team. In fact, the way the Cougars played Saturday night, there was no denying the Cougars of the championship.

The first game was a back and forth affair with WNCC taking an 8-5 lead early on a Eichler kill. After that, both teams went back and forth until Benitez served the final point for the first game win.

The second game was all WNCC from start to finish. WNCC raced to a 5-1 lead behind four points from Benitez. The Cougars kept their foot to the pedal as they accelerated to an 18-10 lead behind two Schauermann service points.

Miami Dade, who entered the championship tilt with a 33-0 record, tried coming back as they sliced the lead to 25-21. WNCC, though, was too tough. After a missed serve, Eichler hammered home two kills and then Da Silva served the final two points for the win.

Miami Dade came out a different team in the third game rolling to a 12-7 and then a 18-12 lead. WNCC fought back slicing the lead to 20-17 on three Jones’ service points and a Eichler kill. But, that was as close as the Cougars got before succumbing to the Sharks 30-21.

The fourth game was a battle between two good ball clubs. WNCC started things as Benitez served three points to put the Cougars up 4-1. Miami Dade rebounded taking a 10-8. Soon after, the Cougars regained the lead on seven Benitez service points for a 17-11 lead. During the scoring spree, Bauza lit up the Miami Dade defense with three of her match-high 29 kills.

The Sharks came back andn sliced the lead to 20-19, but never did regain the lead as Lyles hammered home a kill to stop the rally and then Da Silva served two points for a 26-21 lead. WNCC finished off their first national title as Benitez served the final three points and Bauza got the winning kill sending the nearly 200 Cougar fans storming the floor with jubilation.

“It is amazing to be a part of school history and to be a part of such a great team and part of such amazing girls this year,: Schauermann said. “Everybody was best friends and everyone loved everyone. We did everything together and we loved each other. We had amazing chemistry this year.

“I think what helped win the title was the harder tournament schedule and the fact that we had a lower seed from last year, really gave us some fire underneath us,” she said. “But, coming off of last year’s loss, though, really gave us the drive and the confidence to come out and win a national championship.”