WNCC women top Barton, men fall in overtime

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams split a pair of contests in the second day of the Barton Classic Sunday afternoon at Great Bend, Kan.

The Cougar women recorded two first half goals and then put together a strong defensive game to shut out Barton Community College 2-0.

The men, on the other hand, lost a heartbreaker to No. 8 Barton in falling 1-0 in overtime.

WNCC soccer coach Todd Rasnic said both teams played well.

“The women’s team was a different team today [Sunday] then they were Saturday,” Rasnic said. “The team woke up and realized that the level they played at against Butler [a 3-2 loss in overtime on Saturday] wasn’t going to work. They organized better and they had more opportunities to score, and they defended better as a group.”

Jaime Gastelle started the scoring, taking a pass from Ana Jacobo in the 10^th minute for a 1-0 lead. Jacobo followed with a goal in the 21^st minute off an assist from Keah Brost for the 2-0 lead.

That was all the women really needed as the team pitched a shutout. WNCC had nine shots on goal while Barton had six shots on goal.

“We are in it to score goals,” Rasnic said. “But if you don’t defend well, then you have to score more and more. Right now we are working off our strengths and our strength is our defense. So we are defending well and that will give us quality scoring opportunities.”

The men’s contest also featured good defense from both squads as both teams failed to score through the 90-minute regulation period. Then, late in the first overtime, Barton finally snuck a shot into the net for the winner.

Rasnic said the men’s team had chances, but was proud of the way they played. Barton had 12 shots on goal and the Cougars had seven shots.

“We missed a couple of prime scoring opportunities and should have won the game,” Rasnic said. “They certainly pressured us harder then we pressured them, but our games, from day one, have been playing very composed, staying calm and working well together.”

“I look for good stuff from the men’s teams. That was their second loss but the losses were to two teams in the top 10.”

Both teams will be in action Saturday in Laramie, Wyo. The women will face Salt Lake Community College, while the men will battle the University of Wyoming. Rasnic said they will be tough contests.

“Both teams will be challenged to play at an extremely high level,” he said. “I think they will do it. We certainly are not over our heads. We don’t know where we will end up yet, but we will be OK.”

WNCC soccer teams fall in day one of Barton Classic

GREAT BEND, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College soccer teams started the season on the wrong side of the scoreboard, suffering season-opening losses at the Barton Classic in Great Bend, Kan., Saturday afternoon.

The Cougar women, especially, suffered a heartbreaking loss, falling to Butler County Community College 3-2 in overtime. The Cougar men played a little better, but fell to the No. 4 Garden City Community College Broncbusters 5-2.

WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said it was a learning experience for both teams, especially the women.

“I thought we were a bit lethargic to start the game, we really never got our game face set the way we wanted to,” he said. “There is stuff we can build on from this game because they are not in our region. Butler is a pretty strong team. We will try to build on it more tomorrow. Barton County will be a tough game. They look like they are much improved and bigger then last year. They beat Dakota County 4-0 on Saturday. It will be a battle.”

WNCC definitely had their chances to win. Rasnic said they missed too many scoring opportunities, especially in the first half.

“We had some moments of brightness where they were doing the right things in organizing the ball and getting chances to score,” he said. “The biggest difference in the game was in the first half of the game where we had opportunities where we were 1v1 with the keeper and we didn’t finish the ball. That was unfortunate.”

The Cougar women held a 1-0 lead at halftime as Gering’s Keah Brost scored at the 8 minute, 12 second mark of the contest off an assist by Ana Jacobo.

WNCC added a second goal in the 62^nd minute as Jaime Gastelle had an unassisted goal. The Cougars, who had eight shots on goal, couldn’t get a third goal and lost as Butler scored the game winner in the first overtime period.

Freshman Jessica Taylor had 10 saves in net.

The Cougar men got behind the eight-ball early, falling behind 4-0 at halftime to Garden City, who is ranked No. 4 in the country. Rasnic said they are definitely one of the top teams in the country.

“We got caught on our heels in the first half,” he said. ‘Defensively we did an outstanding job, but Garden City has probably the best team I have seen since I have been coaching. They are earning their No. 4 ranking. We finally got organized after the first half and came out to get two goals right after the half which put us in range of catching up with Garden City.”

WNCC sliced the lead in half as Tony Rocha scored the Cougars first score in the 51^st minute on a corner kick from Nate Southard. Casey Zigray scored the second goal in the 71^st minute off a pass from Marcel Sales.

Even with the loss, Rasnic said the men’s team is showing signs of improvement.

“We have some stuff to build on and that is what we are here for,” he said. “We are seeing what we need to get fixed on our team and develop play a little bit better. Hopefully we learned a few things from today and we will go out tomorrow and play a little bit different. This weekend certainly gives us things to bring back to training and try to put us in a position where we can compete for a regional championship.”

It doesn’t get any easier on Sunday for the Cougars as they face Barton Community College at 1 and 3 p.m. The Barton men are ranked No. 8 in the country.

WNCC picks up two more wins at Iowa Western Invite

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team finished the Iowa Western Invite unbeaten after sweeping through their opponents on Saturday.

The No. 2 Cougars opened the day by downing No. 6 Iowa Western Community College 25-22, 25-16, 25-22, before disposing of Division II, No. 5 ranked Des Moines Area Community College 25-15, 25-23, 25-17.

WNCC coach Giovana Melo said her team played flawlessly in the win against Iowa Western.

“We played the best that we have played this season,” the second year head coach said. “I know we haven’t played much, just those couple of games, but that is the best I have seen them practice and play all together. That was just their best performance that we have had this year. We had a lot of them step it up. We had a game plan and they did every single thing that we asked them to do.”

The last time WNCC and Iowa Western faced each other, the Cougars won in five exciting sets to finish third at the national tournament last November. This time, the Cougars left little doubt on the outcome, sweeping past the Reivers. Melo said was impressed with Kaleinani Kabalis' performance along but also lauded the rest of the team for playing like a team.

“They stuck with the game plan we had for them,” Melo said. “They did everything we asked and Kali was unstoppable.

Kaleinani Kabalis, who is a pre-season first team All-American, led the Cougars with 16 kills, seven digs and two solo blocks. Kathryn Stock also chipped in 19 digs and eight kills, while Paulina Piegza had eight kills. Also for the Cougars, Sabina Piegza had 42 set assists, Kuulei Kabalis had nine digs and 15 points, and Emily Hoehn had nine points.

Melo said they didn’t play as well against Des Moines, but still they played impressive.

“This wasn’t as good as the first game, but we still played OK,” she said. “We let down a little bit and we weren’t good the whole game. We were good at just times. I think that Iowa Western game took a lot out of us because they were a good team.”

Kaleinani Kabalis had a double-double in the win against Des Moines Area, finishing with 17 kills and 13 digs. Kabalis also had eight points and one ace.

Also for the Cougars in the Des Moines win, Paulina Piegza had 15 kills, Brooke Blomekamp had seven kills, Whitney Roth had two solo blocks and four total blocks, Sabina Piegza had 42 set assists, Kuulei Kabalis had 13 digs, and Emily Hoehn had nine digs, five points and two aces.

Melo said this team has a lot of potential after the first weekend.

“We can be a really good team. It is just being able to be consistent and to be able to do the things that we need to do for long periods of time. If we only do it a couple of times, here and there, it won’t be enough. We need to perform at that high level for long periods of time.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Cougars as they will compete in the Salt Lake Invite next Friday and Saturday. WNCC has won the Salt Lake tournament the past three years.

“That will be tough as well,” Melo said. “There will be just as good teams and more matches that will be tough.”

WNCC volleyball wins two at Iowa Western Invite

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — The Western Nebraska Community College’s Kaleinani Kabalis pounded home 28 kills and the No. 2 Cougars opened the season two victories at the Iowa Western Invite on Friday in Council Bluffs.

Kabalis had a triple double against Marshalltown Community College as the Cougars won in straight sets 25-18, 25-10, 25-9; and then had a double-double in the win against No. 3 MSU-West Plains in helping the WNCC to the 17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17 win.

“We played good at times and also played bad at times,” second year coach Giovana Melo said, “We were very inconstant, but we were able to pull out the wins. I thought we got better as the games got along and we learned a couple of things today.”

In the opener against Marshalltown, Kabalis finished with 17 digs, 11 points and 15 kills. The 5-foot-9 first-team pre-season all-American also had two ace serves.

WNCC also received strong play from a number of other players. Sabina Piegza finished the contest with 24 set assists, Kuulei Kabalis and Emily Hoehn each had seven digs, Katherine Stock had five aces, 11 points and five digs, and Paulina Piegza had six kills.

Against West Plains, Kaleinani Kabalis finished with 13 kills, 10 digs, eight points and two aces. Stock and Sabina Piegza also had double-doubles. Stock had 18 digs, 10 kills and nine points, while Piegza had 10 digs and 32 set assists. Hoehn also finished with eight digs, while Tania Torres had six kills and five points.

Melo was pleased with how her team came back against West Plains after dropping the first set.

“We started out really slow with them and lost the first set and we kind of woke up in the next three sets and won the match,” she said. “I was pretty happy with the way they performed at the end of each match.”

The big spark in that contest was the play of Hoehn from the libero spot, according to Melo.

“I thought Emily came in and brought a completely different attitude to the court,” Melo said. “She had this good attitude and put some fire into the girls and I think that really helped us to pick it up and win the game.”

WNCC continues play today in the tournament with an 8 a.m. contest against No. 6 Iowa Western Community College and then a match up against Division II No. 5 ranked Des Moines Area Community College. Melo said they will need to play better today as they face two tough teams in Iowa Western and Des Moines Area.

“We will have to work really hard [against Iowa Western],” she said. “We had an opportunity to watch them play earlier. They have a really good team and we will see what happens. I think we will have a good match, but it just depends on how we play. We just have to be a little bit more consistent.”

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WNCC men's and women's soccer teams open season this weekend at Barton Classic

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams will be getting an intense test during their matches this weekend in Great Bend, Kan.

Both Cougar teams will take part in the Barton Classic against teams that have been ranked in the top 15 polls a year ago. The Cougar men will face No. 4 Garden City Community College on Saturday and then No. 8 Barton Community College on Sunday.

The Cougar women, who captured the Region IX title last year and finished ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation, will open the season against Butler County Community College on Saturday and then battle Barton on Sunday.

“I think both teams are ready for the season to begin,” WNCC men’s and women coach Todd Rasnic said. “We have worked hard in the preseason and we have certainly given ourselves enough scrimmages this year to get a good look at all the players of where they best fit on the squad. Hopefully, we are prepared to move forward with the season and put our best effort out on the field this weekend.”

Rasnic said these early season contests will be a good indicator of where the team is at as far as what they have to improve upon.

“We are taking on some pretty talented squads. On the men’s side, we are starting off with No. 4 ranked Garden City and then No. 8 Barton County,” he said. “Anytime you take on two top-10 ranked teams to start the season will be a tough, but it is something that we need to show us what that level looks like and to see how close we are or we are actually playing at that level.”

Both teams will be entering the regular season this weekend with some confidence. The Cougar women finished up their preseason schedule with a 10-0 scrimmage win against Dodge City Community College as Gering’s Keah Brost recorded a hat trick and Jaime Gastelle and Ana Jacobo each had two goals each.

Rasnic realizes there is a lot of pressure of repeating as regional champions, but he is more worried about them playing cohesively as a unit.

“I think the focus for the ladies is a repeat of the Region IX championship, but my goal as a coach is to get the players playing consistency and to get them working as a unit and the results will take care of themselves,” he said. “If you get a group of 11 players to play together at a high level, the odds of having success will be pretty high. This year we have a group of ladies that will work well together. I think they have commitment. They are committed to training and they are committed to doing whatever it takes to be a successful this season. I think in the long run, that will pay off with.”

The WNCC women return eight players from last year’s championship, including Brost, Gastille and Jacobo, who all had multiple goals Sunday’s soccer scrimmage against Dodge City. Also returning for the Cougars is Jessica Arreguin of Greeley, Colo., Shauna Michaelis of West Jordan, Utah, Taylor Johns of Gering, Laura Abbott of Scottsbluff, and Brooke Dudley of Loveland, Colo.

The Cougar women also have a good mix of freshmen that Rasnic has been impressed with. The newcomers include BrittanyMcNeil of Milliken, Colo., Lyanne Herandez of Lafayette, Colo., Jimena Jimenez of Aurora, Colo., Jacee Roseberry and Ashley Heimbouch of Gering, Jordan Lutkin of Gillette, Wyo., Miriam Alfaro of Denver, Cristina Soto and Jessica Taylor of Longmont, Colo., and Tiffany Snethen of Rapid City, S.D.

The Cougar men, who were victorious in their last preseason contest winning 2-0 against Dodge City on Sunday, also feature a roster full of talent. In fact, Rasnic is pleased with the make-up of both teams.

“We have coupled some great technical players with a lot of speed on the men’s team and gained some strength defensively,” Rasnic said. “We seem to have a group of men that have done a better job of working together. I think we had good, solid players last year, however; our team chemistry just came and went from game to game and we had a lack of consistency that is needed on an on-going basis. I think if there is any big change for this year, I think we have a group that is willing to work together and I think in the long run it will pay off for us. We will see if it works this weekend. Again, when you first walk up and play against two of the top 10 teams in the country, you get a pretty good idea of the level that you are playing at and where you need to get to by the end of the season so you can play for a Region IX championship.

The WNCC men return a good core of players from last year. The team will be led by goal keeper David Castillo, who sat out last season after undergoing ACL surgery. Also returning are Tony Rocha of Juarez, Mexico, Nathan Southard of North Platte, Matt Hoffman of Windsor, Colo., Gustavo Rincon of Caracas, Venezuela, Josh Ivey of York, Raul Sanchez of Alliance, and Ryan Dawson of the Amazons.

The newcomers to the team include Luis Orta, who played for the Cougar baseball team last season. Other newcomers include Pedro DeLeon from Las Vegas, Nev., Jose Macias of Aurora, Colo., Marcel Sales of Americana, Brazil, Chris Guadarama of Gering, Casey Zigray of Ft. Collins, Colo., Kevin Lopez of Aurora, Colo., Miguel Leon of Caracas, Venezuela, and Kareem Hernandez of Lafayette, Colo.

“We have a lot of freshmen on both teams,” Rasnic said. “We are going to look for the sophomores to step up and really be leaders out there and get us through the first few games.”
This weekend will definitely be the test the teams have been looking to. Rasnic said he is hoping his teams will be ready for the 90-minute battles on the field.

“This will be a good test for us. It is hard to predict where the other teams are sitting for talent this early in the season,” he said. “We will find out where we will stand after this weekend. But, I look for great things from both teams this season. The potential is there. We have a group of players that, at the very least, will stay together throughout the season. I think the one thing we will do this year is put together a consistent game of soccer every time we step on the field “.

WNCC volleyball opens the season this weekend at the Iowa Western Invite

Giovana Melo can’t wait to start her second season at the helm of the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball program.

She also can’t wait to see how her team will fare this weekend when the Cougars open the 2009 season on the road at the Iowa Western Invite in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Friday and Saturday.

Melo, who guided the Cougars to a 59-4 and a third place finish at the NJCAA national tournament last year,does know that her team is anxious to get on the court and play some nationally-ranked competition.

“I hope we are ready,’ Melo said. “I think we have been working hard for the past couple of weeks, playing scrimmages and playing each other, so I think they are excited to just get on the road and see where we are at playing against nationally-ranked teams.”

The No. 2 preseason-ranked Cougars enter will open the invitational Friday at noon against Marshalltown Community College and then face No. 3 MSU-West Plains at 4 p.m. Saturday’s competition will see the Cougars face No. 6 Iowa Western Community College at 8 a.m. and then No. 5 Division II-ranked Des Moines Area Community College at 2 p.m.

Melo said playing that type of competition will be good for the team. Last year at the same tournament, the Cougars went 8-0 against nationally-ranked teams, including topping Division II national champions Kishwaukee College.

“I think it will be a good start for us to see where we are,” she said. “I think it is important for us to play against really good teams right away just because we can see the things we need to work on or the things that we are doing well at.”

WNCC enters the season with plenty of talent. The Cougars return six players, including four starters, from last year’s team.

Leading the returners include NJCAA all-American Kaleinani Kabalis, 5-9 hitter from Hilo, Hawaii. Other returning starters include 6-foot twins Sabina and Paulina Piegza of Krzesowice, Poland, as well as Cami Weimer, 5-8 hitter from Ft. Morgan, Colo.

Also returning are Gering High graduates Brooke Blomenkamp, 5-9 rightside hitter, and Whitney Roth, 6-0 middle hitter.

The Cougars also have a strong freshmen class, including Kabalis’ younger sister Kuulei. Kuulei is a 5-6 setter/defensive specialist from Hawaii. Also new to the team include Ariel Austin, 5-11 hitter from Woodland Park, Colo., Kathryn Stock, 6-0 hitter from Thibodaux, La., Sierra Schmidt, 5-6 setter from Gering, Tania Torres, 6-1 middle hitter from Camuy, Puerto Rico, Mackenzie Westphal, 5-10 hitter from Scottsbluff, and Emily Hoehn, 5-6 defensive specialist from Kearney.

“I think we have a lot of individual talent; we just need to start playing as a team and we are starting to get that. I am excited about that part because we have to play as a team at all times. We just need to get better slowly.

Melo said the sophomores are stepping up and taking a leadership role, something that will be crucial to the success of the team this season.

“I have been talking to them about stepping up and I think some of them are doing a really good job on leading this team,” Melo said. “The freshmen coming in, some of them started really shy in getting to know everything. Now, they have come out and they are that more comfortable to see where we are and what this program is all about. Many of them freshmen have stepped up a little bit, so I think this is a team of everybody stepping up a little bit. That is what it will take to win.”

After this weekend’s contest, the Cougars will have little time to rest before another stiff test at the Salt Lake Invite Sept. 4-5. The Cougars have won the Salt Lake tournament that past three years. Melo said this team is ready to take on the competition.

“I really don’t think there are any nerves, but more or less excitement to get started,” she said. “Obviously, we have a little bit of pressure. But I think it is good for them to feel the pressure. It is the first tournament of the season, so it is OK to be nervous. This team is just excited. They have been playing hard and practicing hard this week. They are ready.”

WNCC soccer teams top Dodge City on Sunday

(Photos from the women's game are on the following photo gallery site because albumpost.com is down. Follow this link to get to the photos http://wncccougars.smugmug.com/Cougar-Womens-Soc )

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams tuned up for the regular season with impressive victories over Dodge City Community College Sunday at the Landers Soccer Complex.

In the women’s contest, Gering’s Keah Brost recorded a hat trick and sophomores Jaime Gastelle and Ana Jacobo each added two goals to power the defending Region IX champions to an impressive 10-0 win against the Conquistadors.

The Cougar men also recorded a shutout in a tighter contest. In the end, it was Jose MMacies’ two second-half goals to left the Cougar men to a 2-0 win.

Both teams will now open the regular season on Saturday in Great Bend, Kan. The women will battle Butler County Community College, while the men will face Garden City Community College.

Sunday, however, both Cougar teams gave the fans a hint of the potential success of the two soccer teams.

Brost said they really played well in the final scrimmage on Sunday.

“I think our team is figuring out how to play together and we are in good shape for the season,” the former Bulldog soccer player said. “This is a good way to go into the season because out team picked up some confidence and we also played well together.”

Brost’s career best three goals all came in the first half as the Cougars built a 5-0 lead.

WNCC wasted little time in collecting its first goal as Scottsbluff graduate Laura Abbott fed Brost with a perfect pass which the 5-foot-11 forwarded deposited in the net four minutes into the game.

Four minutes later, Jacobo slammed the ball in the back of the net for a quick 2-0 lead. Brost had the assist on the goal.

The Cougar women went up 3-0 at the 35 minute mark as Gastelle delivered a pass to Laura Abbott for the goal.

Brost finished off the first half scoring with two goals. The first game with 11:15 left as Brost booted a 20-footer into the net off an assist from Miriam Alfaro. Brost got the hat trick four minutes later as Jacobo had the assist on the fifth goal.

WNCC quickly put the game away in the second half, scoring four goals within a 12-minute period. Gastelle started the scoring with a solid shot into the corner at the 34-minute mark of an assist from Brost.

Jacobo followed with a header that was firmly planted in the net off a pass from Lyanne Hernandez at the 30-minute mark.

Gastelle picked up her second goal with a point-blank tap in off an assist from Brooke Dudley with 28 minutes to play to make the score 8-0.

The final two scores came from freshman. Hernandez scored her first goal of her collegiate career, taking a pass from freshman Jordan Lutkin in placing the ball in the top corner. Gering’s Ashley Heimbouch rounded out the scoring as she followed a shot off the goal and hammered into the net.

The Cougar women not only showed a fierce offense, but also put up a tough defense. In the first half, freshman goal-keeper Jessica Taylor touched the ball just twice. In the second half, the Cougar defense thwarted two early back-to-back corner kicks. After that, the Dodge City offense couldn’t manage another shot on goal.

Brost said this team does possess a strong defense.

“We have a really strong defense and they compact well together,” she said. “They are really good in working the ball out and feeding the other players.”

Just like the women’s team, the Cougar men also put up a strong defensive effort in their 2-0 win. WNCC and Dodge City finished the first half scoreless as both defenses dominated.

In the second half, the Cougars speed was too much for the Conquistadors. Macies broke the scoreless game by taking a pass from Kareem Hernandez just inside the midfield stripe and outraced the Dodge City defender, putt in the ball in the left lower corner five minutes into the half.

Macias said that first goal gave the team plenty of confidence.

“It was a nice pass that I got because it was an opportunity for us,” the freshman from Aurora, Colo., said. “That pass gave us the opportunity to score.”

The score stayed that way until the 19^th minutes. Macias scored once again, this time taking a pass from sophomore Tony Rocha for the score.

Macias said the team played well, especially in the second half.

“We weren’t communicating that much in the first half. Then, in the second half, coach told us to communicate and that is what we did. That is the reason we won.”

Macias also credited the defense in giving the offense a chance to the win the game. Sophomore goalkeeper David Castillo made a number of saves in both halves.

“The defense also played great,” he said. “They communicated and if wasn’t for the defense, because they pressured and kept coming forward and forward, it makes the midfields and forwards communicate more.”

WNCC Cougar volleyball team ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA preseason poll

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team’s target on their back just got a little bigger after the release of the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason polls Tuesday morning.

The Cougars, who finished last season with a 59-4 record and a third place finish at the national tournament, enter this season ranked No. 2. Blinn College, last year’s national champions, is the only team ranked ahead of WNCC.

The high ranking comes somewhat of a surprise to second year head coach Giovana Melo.

“I thought we had to be ranked high because we are returning some key players and we got third last year but I did not think we would be No. 2,” she said.

The Cougars return six players from last year’s team, including four starters. Cami Weimer, one of the returning starters from a year ago, said the high ranking isn’t surprising.

“Number two wasn’t a big surprise because we are a good team,” she said. “But, seriously, we have room to get better.”

Last season Blinn College toppled the University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith for the national title, while WNCC beat Iowa Western in a thrilling five sets. With Arkansas-Ft. Smith moving up to the four-year level, that left room for a new No. 2. The Cougars are now in that spot.

Melo said there will be some pressure to keep that lofty ranking.

“I think there is a little bit of a pressure but the preseason ranking does not mean anything,” she said. “It is too early to tell. Last year we were not even ranked (in the preseason) and ended up 3^rd in the nation. We will see.”

It won’t take long for the Cougars to get their first test of the season. WNCC opens the season Aug. 28-29 at the Iowa Western Invite where they are slated to play three ranked teams. WNCC will battle No. 3 Missouri State West Plains and No. 6 Iowa Western Community College. They will also Des Moines Area Community College, who is ranked No. 5 in the NJCAA Division II polls, in the tournament.

“I think playing those teams early is the best test we can have and that is the big reason why we go to that tournament,” Melo said. “It is important for us to face nationally ranked teams right the way and see where we are and what we need to work on.”

The top 10 teams all have a national tournament flare. After Blinn and WNCC, the rest of the top 10 includes No. 3 MSU-West Plains, No. 4 Miami Dade College, No. 5 Salt Lake Community College, No. 6 Iowa Western, No. 7 Frank Phillips College, No. 8 North Idaho College, No. 9 San Jacinto College, and No. 10 Hillsborough Community College.

Two other Region IX teams are also ranked in the preseason polls. Casper comes in at No. 15, while Northeastern Junior College enters at No. 19.

Weimer said they need to keep working hard. Their eye is on the No. 1 spot.

“If we keep working hard and playing tough, we should be in the number one spot,” the sophomore from Ft. Morgan said. “If we can get there, we should be deserving of it.”

WNCC season ticket prices announced

Season tickets for the 2009-10 Western Nebraska Community College athletic season have been set with a variety of ticket packages available.

The home season will kick off Sunday, Aug. 23 when the WNCC men’s and women’s soccer team will host Dodge City Community College in a doubleheader at the Landers Soccer Complex.
Season ticket and all-sport passes range from $35 up to $400. Individual admission charges for home contests are $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Season tickets for volleyball are $30 for adults and $18 for students, while basketball season tickets are $75 for adults and $40 for students. Senior citizens can get a volleyball/basketball pass for $35.

A family pass for basketball and volleyball, which includes two adult and two student tickets, is $300. The prices include seven home volleyball dates and 18 home basketball dates. The Wyo-Braska Shootout is not included in the home volleyball dates.

All-sport passes, which cover baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball home games is also available. Prices start at $175 for adults, $110 for students and $50 for senior citizens. A family all-sport pass, which includes two adult and two student passes, is just $400. The all-sport pass includes five soccer dates, six softball dates and eight baseball dates.

To purchase your season tickets, contact the Cougar athletic office at the college, or contact athletic director Jennifer Pedersen at pedersen@wncc.net or 308-635-6798.

Robinson, Alexander join WNCC men's basketball program

Russ Beck as only been on the job as Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball coach not even three weeks and he is quickly signing players for next year’s team.

Shortly after taking the job, Beck announced that Jamelle Barrett will be joining Beck at WNCC. Barrett, a 5-foot-9 guard who average 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, was the starting point guard under Beck at the College of Southern Idaho last season. Barrett is from Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Beck also announced the signing of two talented inside players. Geddes Robinson is a 6-5, 235-pound forward from Bronx, N.Y., while Kwame Alexander is a 6-7, 230-pound post player from Moreno Valley, Calif. Both will be sophomores after transferring from four-year institutions.

Robinson comes to WNCC as a red-shirt freshman from NCAA Division I Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Robinson averaged 8.2 points a game, 4.9 rebounds a game and shot 51 percent from the field.

Beck said Robinson will be a huge asset to the Cougar program.

“I am very excited about adding Geddes to our team; I love coaching big strong physical kids,” he said. “He will provide us with an extremely physical presence at the power forward position, he is the kind of guy that really knows how to use his body.”

Beck said Robinson played in 27 games last season and started 17 for the Division I team.

“He decided to transfer to find a better situation and position himself to play at a higher level of Division I basketball,” Beck said. “As you can see his production per minute is very impressive and i think he is a potential double-double guy for us here at WNCC. He is a proven guy having already played at the NCAA Division I level, I am counting on him to provide us with some toughness and leadership this season.”

Alexander transfers to WNCC from Irvine Valley College in California where he averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds a game. Alexander helped the Lasers to a 14-17 record last season while earning honorable mention all-conference honors in the Orange Empire Conference.

"I am very excited to add Kwame to our program," Beck said. "He is very skilled and can score in a variety of ways.

Beck also likes that Alexander will be a force on the inside.

“Kwame comes to us with a reputation as being an excellent rebounding force,” he said. “He will be a sophomore for us this season and I love that he has already experienced some success at the college level. He certainly adds some athleticism to our frontline and I would hope that when he and Geddes are on the floor that there are not rebounds for everyone else."

WNCC volleyball team holding a meet and greet session Saturday at the Sports Racquet

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will be greeting fans and signing autographs this Saturday at the Sports Racquet from 9-11 a.m. Sports Racquet is located at 1018 East Overland in Scottsbluff.

The Cougar volleyball team will be seeking its 11^th straight regional championship. This year’s volleyball team has six players returning from last year’s 59-4 squad. They also have four local players on the squad including Gering’s Whitney Roth, Brooke Blomenkamp and Sierra Schmidt, as well as Scottsbluff’s Mackenzie Westphal.

There will also be schedules available during the meet and greet as well as photos of the team.

For more information on the meet and greet, contact WNCC athletic director Jennifer Pedersen at Pedersen@wncc.net.

WNCC soccer teams open up practice Monday with high expectations

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team will be aiming to repeat as regional champions and after the first day of practices on Monday, things are headed in that direction.

For the men’s soccer team, they are looking to gain that regional title glory the women’s team bestowed upon themselves last season.

WNCC men’s and women’s soccer coach Todd Rasnic said that both teams are on the right track to doing great things this coming season.

“The recruiting class we brought in for both teams is pretty strong,” Rasnic said after watching the men’s and women’s team go through the first day of practice on Monday. “The first session is always tough to determine how good they will be, but I did notice that we seemed to have a higher work rate and very more intense then it was last year. That indicates we will be stronger on both the men and women.”

The women’s team finished last season with an 11-7-1 record and captured its second Region IX title in six years. Brooke Dudley of Ft. Collins, who is one of eight returners from last year’s team, is impressed with the talent on this year’s team after just one day of practice.

“I was actually excited to get out here and practice,” Dudley said. “It was like I get to play soccer again. All the new girls were kind of nervous and you could kind of see it, but everyone is happy to be here. There is a lot of optimism for the team.”

Dudley said the women’s team is quickly starting to take shape.

“Right now the talent is looking good and right now it is doing pretty well,” she said. “Honestly, the chemistry as a team is really strong. We are molding together just like last year and getting along without the drama. We are having beautiful flow on the field, and having that on and off the field is what is going to get us there.”

The men’s and women’s team will be going through three-a-days for the first two weeks. The first session is a 6 a.m. conditioning session followed by each squad going two 90-minute session during the day.

Dudley said the first day went as well as expected.

“It went really well. The girls are working really hard,” she said. “It is hot out here, but no one is complaining and doing their best. They are giving a good effort and we don’t have no complainers.”

Besides Dudley, the other returning players include Jessica Arreguin of Greeley, Colo.; Jaime Gastelle of Ft. Colllins, Colo.; Shawna Michaelis of West Jordan, Utah; Keah Brost and Taylor Johns of Gering; Ana Jacobo of Aurora, Colo.; and Laura Abbott of Scottsbluff.

The biggest shore for the Cougar women is trying to find a replacement for Terri Huntington, who was a 2-year starter and Region IX all-American last season. Rasnic said there are two candidates that will fill in nicely. They include Tiffany Snethen of Rapid City, S.D., who played for the Rushmore Soccer Club, and Jessica Taylor of Skyline High in Longmont, Colo.

Other freshmen on the women’s team include Ashley Heimbouch and Jacee Roseberry of Gering; Jordan Lutkin of Greeley, Colo.; Brittany McNiel of Milliken, Colo.; Lyanne Hernandez of Lafeyette, Colo.; Miriam Alfaro of Denver, Colo.; Cristina Soto of Longmont, Colo.; and Jimena Jimenez.

The men also have a good mix of returning and incoming newcomers.

Returning for the men’s squad include David Castillo of Aurora, Colo.; Ryan Dawson of Front Royal, Virg.; Matt Hoffman of Severance, Colo.; Josh Ivey of York; Gustavo Rincon of Caracas, Venzuela; Tony Rocha of Chihuahua, Mexico; Luis Anaya of Aurora, Colo.; Raul Sanchez of Alliance; and Nathaniel Southard of North Platte.

The newcomers to the program include Chris Guadarama of Gering; Josh Kinney of Scottsbluff; Pedro DeLeon of Las Vegas, Nev.; Jose Macias of Aurora, Colo.; Casey Zigray of Ft. Collins, Colo.; Kareem Hernadez of Lafeyette, Colo.; Miguel Leon of Caracas, Venezuela; Kevin Lopez of Denver, Colo.; Marcel Sales of Brazil; and Luis Orta of Goeyana, Venezuela.

“I think with the level of players that we have on both teams, [being competitive] is certainly a goal we can set our sights on,” Rasnic said. “The rest will have to wait and see. We will see how our bodies hold up type of injuries we will come up with before we get into the season and that will tell where we are headed.”

Rocha, however, is excited for the men’s season as they hope to bring home a regional title. Last season, the Cougar men finished with a 7-8-1 record and lost in the first round of the regional playoffs to Western Wyoming Community College.

“We have a group of pretty talented guys,” the sophomore said. “We have some international guys that are pretty good and we have some local guys that are just really good. Hopefully, this year we are going to be in the newspaper a lot with good comments.”

Rocha said that after the first day, which was mainly a way to get everyone on the same page, he sees plenty of potential. The offense is really standing out, he said.

“It is hard to tell right now because this is only the first day of practice, but our offense is looking really good; better than last year,” he said. “We have a lot more speed than last year. The defense also looks pretty strong and we are going to have a pretty good team this year.”
Rasnic, however, doesn’t like to make predictions of the season, but is hopeful of seeing two strong teams that will compete for regional and national attention.

“As far as any thoughts of how the team will be, we will have to wait and see as the pre-season develops,” he said. “With us just bringing in players that have that high work rate [as we saw in the first day of practice] is very helpful and creating something special. That is what we are trying to create this year. We are trying to get a group of men and women together that can compete well and have a chance of winning the regional tournament.”

The team will go through the intense practice schedule six days a week with a rest day on Sundays. The teams will have an inter-squad contest on Saturday afternoon before having a scrimmage on Aug. 14 against Metro State College and Colorado State-Pueblo in Denver. The men will then scrimmage Midland College on Aug. 17. The men and women will open the season with a home match against Dodge City Community College on Sunday, Aug. 22 at the Lander’s Soccer Complex.

Rocha is excited for the coming season.

“The first day was hard but I think this group will come together this year,” he said. “We are going through three-a-days, which is pretty tough. But this is soccer and we are all about playing soccer. We like to be here, so we will get used to that. There are very high expectations and we are committed to win this year.”

WNCC volleyball team opens up practice Monday with 13 players

More photos of the first day located at wncccougars.albumpost.com

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team entered Monday’s first day of practice with plenty of questions. The team also entered the 2009 season with a lot of expectations to continue the team’s 10-year reign as Region IX champions.

The questions were quickly answered as the Cougars will field another talented team. In fact, this year’s team has just as much, if not more, talent as last year’s stellar team. Last year’s team finished with a 59-4 record and third at the national tournament as well as sending the three sophomores onto Division I programs.

Giovani Melo definitely can see the potential of success in this year’s squad.

“I do see a lot of talent,” the second-year coach said. “I see a lot of kids that have a lot of potential that we can work with and I think it will be a good team.”

What is making this year’s team something to watch for is the way the team is quickly coming together as one. WNCC also has seven players that are 5-foot-10 or taller. WNCC also returns six players, four of which were starters a year ago.

Kaleinani Kabalis, who was an NJCAA all-American last season, is one of those returners. Kabalis, the hard-hitting outside hitter, is definitely excited for the coming season.

“I thought it was a good first-day of practice. Everybody clicked and everybody practiced hard,” the 5-foot-9 outside hitter from Hilo, Hawaii said. “I think we have a lot of talent and we have a lot of height that we didn’t have last year. I think we are a good team. We have good chemistry. We get along great. It is like we knew each other our whole lives.”

The first day actually started Sunday when the team had team meetings, picture session, a picnic with their dorm families, and a five mile run. Monday involved just little conditioning exercises and mini games so Melo could get a feel of where the team is.

“I think it was OK,” Melo said. “We didn’t do much team stuff, I just let them play and see where we were and each player was. It was more of a placement practice to see where they were.”

Kabalis said the toughest part was that mile run.

“The first day was tough just because we had to run the mile the day before [Sunday],” she said. “But overall it wasn’t that bad. The first day was just getting to know the team and everything. We played with everyone with 2-on-2 games.”

There are 13 players that suited up for the Cougars’ first day of practice. Besides Kabalas, five others return from last year’s team in Cami Weimer, 5-8 from Ft. Morgan, Colo., Whitney Roth, 6-1 from Gering, Brook Blomenkamp, 5-9 from Gering, and Sabina and Paulina Piegza, 6-foot twins from Poland.

The incoming freshmen include Kabalis’ younger sister Kuulei, a 5-6 setter from Hilo, Hawaii. The other freshmen include Mckenzie Westphal, 5-10 from Scottsbluff, Sierra Schmidt, 5-6 from Gering, Emily Hoehn, 5-6 from Kearney, Tania Torres, 6-1 from Camuy, Puerto Rico, Kathryn Stock, 6-0 from Thibodaux, La., and Ariel Austin, 6-0 from Woodland Park, Colo.

Melo already sees plenty of plusses from this year’s team.

“They seem to get a long so far, but it is just the beginning,” she said. “I think there are expectations just from us being good for awhile for the past couple of years, so there is some high expectations. We just have to take one game at a time and see where we are at, still get better.”

The Cougars will go through 2-a-days through next week. They will then have three home scrimmages beginning Aug. 14 against Regis University. They will also scrimmage Colby Community College Aug. 15 before having their alumni scrimmage Aug. 22. WNCC will open the season for real on Aug. 27-28 when they compete in the Iowa Western Invite.

“Practices will get harder,” Melo said. “We have a small time to work with them [before our first competition] so we just need to go as hard as we can the next few weeks and see what happens.”

Kabalis is itching to start playing for real to see just how good this team really is.

“I am excited for the season and to see how we do,” she said. “I want to see how well we will play together. I think we have a lot of talent. We have more height on this team. We have more hitters and we have a lot of defensive players, too.”

--
Mark Rein
Photographer,
WNCC SID,
College Relations Assistant

Cell: 308-631-0459
Home: 308-436-2963
Work: 308-635-6057
Email: mrein@wncc.net

Gering's Palomo signs with WNCC baseball

Western Nebraska Community College baseball coach Mike Jones can see a bright future for Gering’s Carlos Palomo on the baseball diamond.

And for the next two years, Jones will get to see the development of his budding superstar as the right-handed pitcher signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Cougars next year last week.

“He’s got what we call a real quick arm. When he releases the baseball, his arm really speeds up and accelerates. I think everyone will see his velocity climb over the next 12-month period,” Jones said. “The thing with him is keeping him healthy because quick-arm guys have a tendency of where they can get hurt because they have so much acceleration in their arm. I am not sure where he will rank. I think it will be up to him with his work ethic, determination and how much he will put into it to see how far he can go.

“I have seen guys like Joba Chamberlain go from 85 and 86 to 99. I have also seen guys that throw 85 mph and they just don’t get there. I am guessing with him, with how fast his arm comes through, he will be an upper 80s guy. He will get there. We just need to keep him healthy and keep him strong, and let him develop and let him grow.”

Palomo, who received plenty of interest from other schools, pretty much had his mind set on attending WNCC.

“It was one of my top choices and it is more convenient,” the Gering Platte Valley Companies senior legion baseball pitcher said. “Coach Jones is an excellent coach. It is a great school. I just want to continue to get better and see far I can go with it. I want to see how much harder I can through and I am going to work hard so I can do that.”

Palomo was a dominating pitcher for the Gering legion program last season where Jones was not afraid to hand him the ball. Jones said he has a few mechanics that need fine-tuned, but he has the potential to be a force on the diamond.

“The first thing we are going to do with him is continue to let him smooth out his mechanics as he delivers the pitch. Sometimes he has a tendency to get in a hurry, and when he gets in a hurry he loses his balance and he loses his stride.

“His biggest attribute is he is just a competitor. When you give Carlos the baseball, he goes out there to win the game. He will do everything he can to get everybody out. He doesn’t back down one bit. When we put him in a pressure situation or tight spot, he doesn’t back down. Those are characteristics that you can’t teach. You got to have that and he has that, so for us it will be a few mechanical things to let him smooth out and develop.”

Palomo also realizes that you can’t win every game. He mentioned the Alliance game at the Area 7 tournament last week when he suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on a walk-off hit. In that game, he struck out nine and allowed just five hits. Leading 2-1 with two outs in the final inning, Alliance’s Brandon Heckman hit a walk-off double to help the Spartans rally for the win.

“Anything can happen in a game like the first game I pitched in the area tournament,” he said. “We were up 2-1 going into the seventh with two outs and there was a runner at first and third. A guy hits a shot in the gap to win the game. Anything can happen, but that is what makes it fun, though.”

Palomo, who started playing baseball at a young age, said he didn’t start to develop as a player until a couple years ago. He was selected to compete in an Under Armour National Baseball Camp last year.

“I knew when I was younger that baseball was what I wanted to do. I went to those [Under Armour] camps because I wanted to get looked at, and they would help me,” he said. “I learned so much at that camp. My control is so much better this year. It was excellent to go to those camps and it It was very helpful.”

Pal0mo’ main pitch is the fastball, where he constantly throws around 82 mph. He also had a 2-seam and 4-seam pitch. The one thing he is hoping to develop his is change-up. He is anxious to had to his repertoire of pitches.

“I just want to continue to get better and see how far I can go with it,” he said. “I want to see how much harder I can through and I am going to work hard so I can do that. All my pitches are pretty good and I dominate a lot with my fast balls. Next year, I will learn how to throw a change-up better and we will go from there.”

Jones said that having coached Palomo this summer has been a plus because he already knows what he can do on the mound.

“It is a big plus and an advantage for me, as well as for him because sometimes in the fall when freshman first walk in here, even though we seen them on the road or on the field and we have a scouting report on them, we still are not comfortable of who they are,” Jones said. “I know Carlos well after spending an entire summer with him. I am not going to be afraid to give him the baseball in pressure situations. I know he can go out there and start a game. I know he can throw his breaking ball for strikes in a lot of different counts. It will be an advantage for both of us. I know I can go and talk to him any time and address mechanical issues.”

Palomo is hoping to move onto a four-year school after WNCC. His long-term goal is to be drafted, and if he is, he doesn’t care where since he watches a lot of baseball and studies the pitchers intently.

“I watch a lot of baseball pitchers and I just learn how they come back from being behind and what they do as far as their mechanics, what pitches they throw and where they locate,” he said. “It would be cool to dominate like a closer like Mariano Rivera.”

“It would be a cool accomplishment [to be drafted out of the junior college ranks],” Palomo said. “But to even go on to a big college after this would be a major accomplishment.”