WNCC volleyball begins practice

                 The 14 members of this year’s Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team took to the floor Wednesday for the opening practice and there is plenty of optimism surrounding the team.

                “The season looks real good. We have good talent this year and it is already very competitive,” sophomore Taylor VanderWerff said. “We are playing at a higher level which is good. So, it will only get better from here.”

                Freshman Allora Tanner is also excited for the season after seeing the talent of the players on the team.

                “It [the first day] was good and I am excited for the season,” she said. “We are working really hard and I can’t wait to start working harder and harder.”

                The Cougars, who finished 41-2 and third in the nation last season, went through two easier practices on the first day, but things will pick up in the next few days.

                “This morning was pretty light and the second practice in the afternoon was a little bit tougher because it was playing the whole time,” VanderWerff of New Orleans, La., said. “Overall, it was light but still competitive. It will get tougher.”

                The Cougars return six sophomores last year’s team in VanderWerff, Megan Johnson, Tasha Meyer, Danika Youngblood and Alex Rivera. The Cougars also have Kat Agson, from Houston, who transfers in from Bethune-Cookman University.

                VanderWerff said the newcomers are already playing at a high level of play.

                “All the new girls know that are coming in are showing what they have and it is extremely competitive. They are trying to prove themselves already in the beginning. The sophomores do have some pressure and we definitely have to come out and be leaders and act as a presence on the court.”

                The freshmen include Morgan Broussard from Gering, Lauren Knox of Broomfield, Colo., Priscilia Mendes and Luiza Martins of Brazil, Tanner of South Weber, Utah, Kasey Lafitaga of Kaneohe, Hawaii, Lindsay Wehkamp of Cimarron, Kan., and Yoro Tovar of Venezuela.

                Tanner, the 6-foot-1 outside/rightside hitter from South Weber, Utah, said she is excited to get going with all the talent this team possesses.

                “We have so much potential and I love It,” she said. “We are all really close and it has only been the first day of practice. I can’t wait for us to keep going.”

                The Cougars will undergo two-a-day practices through Aug. 14 before the first day of classes. The team will have two scrimmages at home on Aug. 16 against Regis University and then Aug. 18 against the alumni. The Cougars open the season for real Aug. 24-25 at the Iowa Western tournament.

                VanderWerff and Tanner said that they are ready to work hard for a schedule that is loaded with plenty of heavy weights.

                “We have a really tough schedule with almost every weekend [playing good teams],” VanderWerff said. “But playing that hard schedule will keep us playing and busy.”

                Tanner said the freshmen are excited to be joining a nationally known program like WNCC, hoping to capture another national title.

                “There is a lot of potential [with this program] and there has been a lot that has happened in this school and we have big shoes to fill,” she said. “Having this type of talent shows that we are all determined and we strive for the same goals. We are all going to work hard as a team and go for that goal.”