Giovana Melo continues bringing in the talent for next year’s Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team.The latest members for next year’s team include Gering’s Sierra Schmidt and Ariel Austin of Woodland Park, Colo. Schmidt is a 5-foot-4 setter/defensive specialist, while Austin is a 5-11 rightside left-handed hitter.
Both are excited to be joining a nationally-recognized program like WNCC.
“I choose WNCC because their program has been so successful for so long,” Schimdt said. “I played for Chris Green for club volleyball and now since Coach G is here, it will be that much better.”
Melo has seen Schmidt progress as an athlete through the years, first when Melo was a player here and watched her as a youngster at volleyball camps, to this year when Schmidt was the starting setter.
“I have been watching her since I have been playing here and I remember her being a little girl and coming to the camps then, as well as coming to our camps this year,” Melo said. “I have been watching her in high school and I think she brings a lot of energy. She works really hard for everything she does. It helps to have a player like that in the program. She pushes everybody and that helps the program get better.”
Schmidt will be the third Gering graduate on the team next year, joining her former teammates Whitney Roth and Brooke Blomenkamp. Schmidt said that should make the transition to college that much easier.
“[Having them here] didn’t influence my decision but it made it that much better since they will be there with me,” she said. “I am just really excited to come here. I want to be part of a team that is able to go far, and even if I don’t get to play, I am still honored to be part of that team. “
Melo said it will be advantageous in having at least three local players on the team.
“This past year Whitney and Brooke have made a difference in our program, and I am sure Sierra is going to add to that,” Melo, who just finished her first year at the Cougar head coach last fall leading them to a third place finish at nationals, said. “They are going to get a long together because they have known each other for a while. It just adds to the chemistry of the program.”
Even if Schmidt hadn’t decided to play sports in college, she said she was still leaning on attending WNCC.
“This was my main choice for a college, sportswise,” she said. “If I wouldn’t have came here for sports, I probably would have went here anyways. I was also looking at UNL and UNK just for school.”
Schmidt had a standout career at Gering, helping them to a 15-15 record which included winning six straight matches. Schmidt finished her senior seasons as one of the top in the state, earning Class B all-state honorable mention, a Star-Herald All-Region selection, Western Conference all-conference and the Twin City Invitational all-tournament team.
Schmidt finished the season with 78 kills, 630 assists, 181 digs, 25 solo blocks, 42 aces and was an 82 percent server.
Melo also has signed a talented rightside hitter in Austin, who was a 3-year letter winning and senior captain in volleyball at Woodland Park High, just west of Colorado Springs. Austin has also gone to state in track and field in the triple and long jumps.
Austin said this college felt right when she visited.
“The college was small and it felt like a great fit for me,” she said. “I felt welcomed when I came to visit because there were a couple of athletes that greeted me when I arrived.”
Austin said she was surprised initially when Melo paid her a visit during a club practice.
"I had club practice and Coach Giovana came to watch. When my practice was done, she gave me a packet with information,” she said. “She wanted me to come and visit.”
Austin, who was also looking at attending Hutchinson Community College, Southeastern Louisiana University and Lamar University, brings a lot of talent to the Cougar lineup. Austin has played volleyball since the seventh grade and also for the Colorado Juniors club team, where they went to nationals in Dallas and placed 33rd. She currently is playing club volleyball for the 18 Kevin for Colorado Juniors, and just got back from the Las Vegas Invitational where the team placed 9th out of 164 teams.
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