The Cougars opened the second day with a sweep over No. 2 Missouri State-West Plains 25-20, 25-18, 25-21. WNCC then took care of Jefferson College 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21.
WNCC head coach Giovana Melo said they played well, especially against West Plains, who defeated the Cougars in the semi-finals of the national tournament last November in five games.
"i think the girls came out really strong and played a really good match against West Plains," Melo said. "We knew what we had to do. We had a little bit of a game plan and they executed it. We were able to come out with a really good win."
The sophomores also had a little bit of revenge in their mind but Melo said that really didn't play a part since both teams are different from a year ago.
"They had a little bit of revenge in their minds, but at the same time we knew it was a completely different team for them as well for us," she said. "We knew going into the match we couldn't think about the past but the present. But, I think for the sophomores it felt good to beat them after last year at nationals."
Debora Araujo paced the Cougars with 11 kills, nine digs and three blocks, while Tania Torres and Lais Soares each had seven kills. Torres also chipped in five blocks in the win.
Also for the Cougars, Kuulei Kabalis had 13 digs, six points and three aces, followed by Fernanda Goncalves with 28 set assists and Kathryn Stock with six kills.
The Jefferson match was a little closer as the Cougars won in four games. Melo said that it was good that they lost a game to see how they respond to a defeat.
"I think it was good for us to lose a game because it shows us that we have a ways to go and a lot of things to work on," she said. "I did not feel like the last game against Jefferson we had a good match. Still, we played as well as we possibly could and it was good to come out with a win when we are not playing to the best of our abilities."
Three Cougars finished with double-figure kills. Araujo and Stock paced the team with 13 kills each followed by 10 kills from Ariel Austin. Araujo finished with a double-double as she collected 16 digs in the match. Stock had a nice all-around game with six points and three blocks.
Also for the Cougars, Soares had eight blocks, Goncalves had 47 set assists, and Kabalis had 19 digs.
Overall, Melo was pleased with the way her team played in the two-day tournament.
"i think there was good competition here," she said. "We were able to come home with four wins."
It gets tougher next week as the Cougars head to Salt Lake City for a tournament where they will play No. 1 College of Southern Idaho and No. 3 Salt Lake Community College.
"Obviously we will face just as good competition as we did this weekend in teams that are ranked above us," Melo said. "It will be good for us to meet the challenge to see what we can do and where we are at."
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