After
three weeks of practice, the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team
will finally kick off the season this weekend at the Iowa Western tournament in
Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The
tournament will be a welcome change from the rigors of daily practices, but for
WNCC fifth year head coach Giovana Melo it will be a chance to see what this
year’s team is made of.
“We
are a little behind this year than what we have been in the past because we
have had so many freshmen trying to get adapted to the system and changes of
play,” she said. “Overall, I think we are ready and we want to see where we are
at and I want to see them compete. I want to see what they can do even though
we are still trying to get things figured out.”
Melo
already got a taste of the potential talent on this team when they had two
scrimmages last week against Regis University and a Blue/Gold scrimmage. Since
that Regis scrimmage where the Cougars looked sporadic to say the least, the
team has turned a complete 360 in practice. The scrimmage, in effect, was a
blessing for the pre-season ranked No. 6 Cougars, who finished last season 41-2
and third at the national tournament.
“Since
the Regis scrimmage we have got a little bit better and they [the players]
realized we were really behind and that we had to really work on a lot of
different things,” Melo said. “They have improved in practice and their
attitudes are better in the way they are facing practice.”
This
weekend will not be an easy road for the Cougars as they the face three of four
ranked teams. The Cougars open the season Friday at noon against No. 8 Eastern
Arizona College before facing No. 10 Iowa Western Community College at 4 p.m.
WNCC
will then face Division II, No. 3 ranked Iowa Lakes Community College at 8 a.m.
on Saturday before wrapping up the tournament at noon against Jefferson
College.
“This
tournament will be tough and I know we are a little bit behind,” Melo said. “Now
I want to see what they can do and what we are able to put together as a team.
If we struggle, we struggle and if we do well, that is great. But I think it is
really early for us and with so many freshmen and all the changes that we have
to make; It will come down to little things for us. I am not worried about the
results; I am just worried about getting better for the end of the season when
it batters the most.”
The
Cougars’ enter the season with plenty of talent but it is young talent. The
Cougars return just five players from a year ago, but only three were constant
starters. They included Danika Youngblood, 5-9 from South Jordan, Utah; Alex
Rivera, 5-6 from Puerto Rico, and Megan Johnson, 5-11 from Sandy, Utah. Also
returning is Taylor VanderWerff 6-1 of New Orleans, La., and Tasha Meyer, 5-8
of Honolulu, Hawaii.
The
Cougars also have sophomore transfer Kat Agson, a 5-9 right side hitter from
Houston, Texas, who transferred to WNCC from Bethune-Cookman University.
While
there is good talent the big question is finding someone to replace setter Fernanda
Goncalves, who was a two-time NJCAA all-American. Melo has two capable
replacements in Gering’s Morgan Broussard and Luiza Martins of Brazil, both freshmen.
Melo said both are coming along.
“The
two setters are stepping up,” she said. “Luiza is still trying to figure out
the system and the language and that is how Fernanda was her freshman year.
Morgan is getting a little bit better every day and right now it is about
making the right choices. It will get there but it will take a little bit of
time for them to become team leaders and captains just like Fernanda was at the
end of her two years here.”
Melo
also has plenty of other incoming freshmen that have caught her eye. She said
every player has shown sparks of brilliance.
“Honestly
it is hard to tell who is standing out,” she said. “We were talking about this
the other day and every single day in practice someone different steps up. That
is the good thing because that says how much talent we have. On the other side
of things, it is scary because you never know who will show up.”
The
other newcomers that are providing plenty of depth for this team include Lauren
Knox, 5-11 of Broomfield, Colo., Priscila Mendez 5-10 of Brazil, Allora Tanner 6-1
of South Weber, Utah, Lindsay Wehkamp 5-9 of Cimarron, Kan., Kasey Lafitaga 5-4
of Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Yoro Tovar 6-1 of Venezuela.
Melo
said she see a lot of talent, but realizes that it will take time to get that
experience on the court.
“It
is hard to pick a starting a line-up because of the talent and that is why I
was trying so many different combinations at the Regis scrimmage because I have
players that can play in different positions,” Melo said. “Until we can say
that you will play in this position, I will still be playing around with the
lineup to see where they can perform the best. It will be a test this weekend
to see if we can find each position and then go from there.”
The
early schedule is also not in their favor. After this weekend’s matches, the
Cougars will travel to Casper College Aug. 28 before taking part in the Salt
Lake City tournament Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. After that the schedule gets even harder
as they compete in the College of Southern Idaho tournament Sept. 7-8 where
they will face No. 1 College of Southern Idaho, No. 9 Miami Dade College and No.
3 College of Central Florida.
Melo
said they will take some bumps early, but she is hoping the rigorous schedule
pays dividends down the stretch.
“I
don’t know what will happen because we are trying different things,” she said. “We
will see how they react each day and face our opponents especially since we are
playing some teams there that are bringing back a lot of sophomores. We will be
a little behind than they are, but I just want to see us go in there and
compete and get better. That is what matters to me right now.”
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