WNCC volleyball team enter season unranked in pre-season polls

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will have a little bit more incentive entering this season after winning the national championship last November.

The Cougars, who became the first team in WNCC history to win a national tournament, are unranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, which was released Wednesday.

The lack of being ranked might be a good thing for this year’s squad. And, that is exactly how first-year head coach Giovana Melo is entering the season as the team prepares for Saturday’s Alumni Scrimmage, which begins at 7 p.m.

“The poll should just be an incentive and nothing else,” she said. “I do not care about what they think of us or not of us. We are just going have to prove it on the court.”

Miami Dade College, the team the Cougars beat last November for the national title, is on top of the pre-season polls followed by Frank Phillips College, College of Southern Idaho, Iowa Western Community College, and Blinn College.

Rounding out the top 10 includes Salt Lake Community College, University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith, Missouri State University-West Plains, Arizona Western College and Hillsborough Community College.

The Cougars will see six of the top 10 teams sometime this year.

Other teams the Cougars will or could face that are in the top 25 include No. 11 Casper College, No. 12 Indian Hills Community College, No. 13 Jefferson College, No. 15 Northeastern Junior College, No. 16 Seward County Community College, and No. 18 North Idaho College,

Melo still believes this year’s team should be ranked, but said they will have to just show everybody on the court how good they are.

“I do think we should be ranked because of our past results,” she said. “After winning a National title, I do not understand how we can not be ranked. But, I guess we are not ranked because we are a young team and I am also a new coach at WNCC."The news of WNCC not being ranked came a day after Melo experienced one of those weeks that was tough emotionally. Earlier in the week, Melo spent time at the hospital with two of her players – Nayka Benitez and Gregner Quinones. Quinones spent a couple hours in the emergency room, while Benitez spent a couple days. Both are now out of the hospital and ready to get back on the court."This week took a lot out of me not just physically but mentally,” she said. “However, I knew they needed me. Especially being from a different country, they don’t have any families here with them so I have to take the parent's role and take care of them as if they were one of my kids. I spent most of my days trying to get them better. I don’t think I even came to the office in the past two days."

Melo, who played for the Cougars in 2001 and 2002 seasons, said a coach is not only there to lead on the court, but also for them if they need help outside of the gym.

“My players have always meant everything to me,” she said. “I have always cared for them more than anything else. It is just the way I am. If they work hard for me, I will do the same for them when they need.

“I think if you do not care for your players, you should not be coaching any sports. They are your athletes. I know some coaches won’t go to the extreme of spending time in the hospital with their players, but that is just who I am. I will do anything for them as long as they work hard.”

The Cougars have one more week of practice before opening the season for real Aug. 22-23 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Cougars will face eight opponents in the two days. WNCC will take on Indian Hills Community, Kishwaukee Community College, Southwestern Iowa and Marshalltown Iowa on Friday, and then MSU-West Plains, Hutchinson Community College, Hillsborough Community College and Cloud County Community on Friday. West Plains, Hillsborough and Indian Hills are all ranked in the top 12 of the pre-season poll.

This years team, which fans can get a preview in Saturday’s alumni scrimmage which begins at 7 p.m. at Cougar Palace, includes three sophomores and nine freshmen. Returning players include Nayka Benitez, who was named the NJCAA Libero of the tournament at nationals last November, and Fatima Balza, an NJCAA all-American.