WNCC volleyball ranked second in national polls

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will have a little bit more to play for now that the first National Junior College Athletic Association polls have been released.

The Cougars, who are off to a blistering 21-2 start after capturing the national championship a year ago, are ranked No. 2 in the nation behind No. 1 Iowa Western Community College. WNCC was unranked in the pre-season poll that came out last month.

“It feels good but it does not mean much to me because it is only the beginning of the season,” first-year coach Giovana Melo said. “I am excited and proud of my kids but we still have so much to improve if we want to stay up there on the rankings. It is just the beginning of the season.”

The Cougars only losses this season came to the hands of Iowa Western twice at last weekend’s Central Invite in Columbus. Before that, the Cougars ran off 19 straight victories, inclduding the tournament titles at the Molten Invite in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and the Salt Lake Invite.

Melo said they rankings will give them a little bit more to play for, but she is not putting a lot of stock in them this early in the season.

“The rankings should motivate us a little but definitelyl not the motivation for our season,” she said. “We know this is only the beginning and we need to keep getting better to be able to beat teams like Iowa Western.”

WNCC has played six schools that are ranked in this week’s top 20 poll, including four of the top – Iowa Western (No. 1), College of Southern Idaho (No. 3), Salt Lake Community College (No. 4), and Missouri State University-West Plains (No. 6).

WNCC will take its No. 2 ranking into this weekend’s matches at the Pizza Hut Invite in Sterling, Colo. The Cougars will battle four opponents in two days, including a match-up with North Platte Community College, who is ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division II polls. The contest is slated for 3 p.m. on Friday.

The Cougars will also battle Colby Community College on Friday, and then Pratt Community College and Garden City Community College on Saturday. After that, the Cougars will be at home Sept. 18-20 for the Wyo-Braska Shootout.

“I am sure it will be good competition at this weekend’s tournament,” Melo said. “No matter who is out there, we need to play to get better every day. Every time we step on the court, we need to get better so that is our mentality.”

This year’s team did have plenty of unanswered questions when they started practice in August. Those questions were quickly answered as a number of players are listed in the top 50 of the NJCAA national statistics.

Fatima Balza, one of two returners from last year’s team, is 3^rd in blocks, 12^th in hitting efficiency, and 29^th in kills per game. Nayka Benitez, the other lone returner, is 38^th in digs per game.

Others that are listed in the individual statistic categories include Sabina Piegza 5^th in setting assists, 20^th in blocks, and 33^rd in aces; Paulina Piegza 5^th in blocking and 16^th in kills; Kaleinani Kabalis 14^th in kills and 28^th in blocking; and Naomi Flinders 14^th in blocking.

With all the success the team is having right now, Melo still thinks there is room for improvement in order to capture a second straight national title.

“We are playing really well at times,” Melo said. “But we need to be more consistent and be able to play that well for a long period of time.”

WNCC women tie LCCC 2-2 in soccer action, Cougar men fall in overtime 2-1

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer should a lot of heart in earning a 2-2 tie in double overtime against No. 11 Laramie County Community College Wednesday in Cheyenne, Wyo.

And, it was the way the Cougar women played as they faced defeat late, overcoming a 2-0 deficit with under 15 minutes to play to record two goals while out-hustling the Golden Eagle players to the ball.

“I can’t say enough of how the ladies battled to get back in the match,“ Rasnic said. “We got several key opportunities and Shsy [Williams] did an excellent job of drawing the goal keeper out and putting her in a bad position. She had to foul her and we got the PK and we put it in this time. I just can’t say enough about the performance and the heart of these ladies. They are going to go somewhere this year if they continue to play with this kind of heart they played out here tonight.“

While the women’s team was all smiles with their gutsy performance, the men’s team suffered a heartbreaking defeat, falling to LCCC 2-1 in overtime. Te loss snapped the Cougar men’s three-game winning streak.

Both games were in tight matches, but it was the women’s game that had the most drama. Both women’s squads failed to score in the first half. LCCC cracked the scoreboard first as Megan Erickson scored with 36 minutes to play for a 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes later, Yala Fowler went one-on-one with WNCC’s goal keeper Terri Huntington and won the battle for the 2-0 lead. That goal, however, was the last for the Golden Eagles as Huntington and the rest of the Cougar defense frustrated the Golden Eagle offense.

In fact, Rasnic couldn’t have said enough about the play of Huntington late in the game as well as the defense.

“Terri did an outstanding job in the net,” he said. “Also, in every game our defense has stepped up and tonight was no exception. The work of all the backs today was nothing short of heroic. I certainly think we have some good things coming up in the season and we will look forward to each game. We will just come out the next couple times with LCCC and show them we can play with them.”

With about 15 minutes to play, the Cougars picked up the pace and scored two goals. The first one with 9:30 to play, was a huge momentum swing. LeeAnna Paxton delivered a pass to Shaylee Williams in front of the net, who hit a shot that squeezed underneath the goal keepers hands and trickled over the line for the score.

The tying goal was even more dramatic. With only 1:53 to play, Williams dribbled the ball to the center of the box, going one-on-one with the goal keeper, who ran into Williams causing a penalty kick. Ana Jacobo too the kick and nailed the shot in the right corner for the tie.

In the first overtime, WNCC had a prime scoring chance with 2:37 to play with a shot on goal that just sailed astray.

In the second overtime, the Cougar defense came up big, including Huntington in net. The Golden Eagles had a free kick about 40 feet from net that went for naught. LCCC also had scoring opportunities twice more, including a corner kick that the Cougar defense stuffed out.
Huntington recorded six saves in the contest. LCCC out shot WNCC 7-5.

Rasnic said he is expecting great things from the women’s team after their performance Wednesday.

“You will see us improve as the season goes along. That is always our goal,” he said. “The ladies definitely did an outstanding job tonight, especially coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half of the game. I take my hat off to them.”

In the men’s game, LCCC scored first in the 38th minute, but the lead was short lived as Morgan Wall tied the game with a shot from in front of the net. Both teams didn’t score the rest of the half, or second half to force overtime.

Both teams, however, had a multitude of scoring opportunities in the second half after a 45-minute lightning delay. The best chance for a goal game with 3:20 to play when the Cougars had two opportunities in the box, but couldn’t connect for the score.

The Cougar’s defense also came up big to force overtime as LCCC had three consecutive corner kicks within a minutes time, which the Cougars stuffed out.

In the extra period, LCCC had the first chance for the winning goal with eight minutes to play but it was no good. Two minutes later, Tony Rocha took a pass inside the box and had a prime close shot, which he couldn’t get enough on the ball to put it in the net.

LCCC followed with the winning goal with 5:30 remaining in the overtime period as Cameron Shumway scored the winning goal as the Golden Eagles went 2-on-1 with Cougar goal keeper Cesar Bazana.

Even with the loss, Bazana had an excellent game in net, recording nine saves. WNCC had seven shots on goal.

Rasnic said his men’s squad needs to learn to play a complete game.

“I think the stats showed that we outplayed the opponent, but we struggled again tonight as we have every game with the first half play,” he said. “If we had played the first half like we played the second half, it probably would have been a different result. For some reason they have to get scored on before we start stepping up and playing the game”

Both squads will next be in action Sunday when they host Cloud County Community College at the Landers Soccer Complex. The women kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the men’s game at noon.

WNCC ladies fall 1-0 to No. 2 ranked Iowa Western

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team knew they were up against a brick wall when facing the No. 2 Iowa Western Community College women’s soccer team Sunday at the Landers Soccer Complex in Scottsbluff.

Iowa Western entered Sunday’s contest with a 5-0 record and have yet to give up a goal. Sunday, the Reivers were just as solid defensively, in thwarting numerous Cougar scoring opportunities to register an 1-0 win.

WNCC women’s coach Todd Rasnic was pleased with his team’s efforts against a solid squad like Iowa Western.

“I told the ladies after the game, I was happy with their performance,” he said. “Obviously we would like to win every match. We are playing with a lot of freshman this year. I know looking at their line up, they had eight or nine starting sophomores. I think experience came into play.”

Sunday’s match up didn’t look like a No. 2 team facing an upcoming squad; it resembled more of a top five battle as both squads put up great defensive efforts in cold and windy conditions.

The Cougars had five prime scoring opportunities in both the first and second halves, but couldn’t cash in on the chances.

“Right now our players are not finishing their opportunities to score,” Rasnic said. “Until we do that, we will continue to struggle. Defense and our composure for freshmen players, is pretty amazing. They are composed and they are patient to the ball. They work the ball around. If things break down, they reset. I can’t say enough about that.”

Freshman Brooke Dudley had the first scoring opportunity eight minutes into the match as she couldn’t catch up with a pass that left her one-on-one with the goal keeper. LeeAnna Paxton also had two chances to score within 30 seconds of each other. The other first half scoring opportunities came from attempts from Jaime Gastelle and Ashley Quintana.

Iowa Western, on the other hand, had four shots on goal, and it took just one to find the back of the net for the game winner. With 10:06 left in the half, Lyndie Heaps took a pass in front of the Cougar bench and out-raced the Cougar defender for a one-on-one encounter with Cougar goal keeper Terri Huntington. Heaps blasted the shot in the left corner for the score.

WNCC had plenty of opportunities to net the tying score in the second half, including back-to-back corner kicks with seven minutes into the second half. The prime scoring opportunity, though, came with 15:47 to play when the Cougars had a penalty kick, but Shaylee Williams boot sailed right.

The Cougars had another prime scoring chance with just over four minutes to play, only to see Iowa Western’s goal keeper Mileena Bucher gobble up Dudley’s shot attempt.

Rasnic said the way his ladies played against the No. 2 team in the nation, fortifies that this team is capable of being a top 10-ranked team.

“I think right now I believe they are a top 10 team, and you obviously saw that today with the effort they put out on the field,” he said. “I think you will see some great things from them this year.”

WNCC, 3-3, will look to get back on the winning track against another ranked team on Wednesday when they travel to Laramie County Community College for a 4 p.m. kick off.

Rasnic said the key in picking up a win is finding a way to score.

“I think with both squads, the final one-third is our issue,” he said. “We move the ball well. We organize and we reset plays when they are breaking up, but our final one-third needs to be a bit more organized. We need to be more structured in what we are doing. We have some days to get that figured out. We will certainly work through those issues and see if we can’t go down to LCCC and come back with some wins.”

Albers goal lifts WNCC men to 1-0 win over Iowa Western Community College

The Western Nebraska Community College and Iowa Western Community College men’s soccer match on Sunday was headed to overtime.

Except WNCC’s Austin Albers had different ideas. The freshman from Spearfish, S.D., changed the complexion of the match in a heartbeat by scoring the winning goal with under four minutes to play to give the Cougar men their third straight victory with a 1-0 win over Iowa Western at the Landers Complex.

“It was one of those well-timed runs where you get the space at the right time and the ball came across the field,” WNCC men’s soccer coach Todd Rasnic said. “We got fortunate. The game went back and forth, all match long.”

Both teams were locked into a knockout match until Albers amazing shot. Albers received the ball from Nikko Ouzounis and dribbled the ball to the left side of the net and then knocked the ball home with 3 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in regulation. Albers score was the only scoring the Cougars needed as Cougar goalkeeper Cesar Bazana like a brick wall in net for WNCC, recording six saves in getting his second straight shutout.

“Actually Iowa Western had some key opportunities in the first half that really could have put the game away,” Rasnic said. “Cesar Bazana came up big today. He did an outstanding job in the net. He actually saved the game for us.”

Iowa Western had three prime scoring opportunities in the first half as the Reivers controlled the tempo of the contest, frustrating the Cougar offense with their hard-nosed defense.

The second half was a different story. WNCC had the wind advantage and took advantage with keeping play mostly in their half of the field. Rasnic also said he made some offensive adjustments, which paid off.

“Having the wind in the second half for us was a good thing; however, the adjustments we made at halftime were much different then that,” he said. “We were not playing the ball well to the opposite side and switching in the first half. We did that better in the second half and we got more penetration.

“The number one thing in the second half was we started winning the 50/50 balls/ The first half they beat us to everything and the second half our guys came through and started to win some balls.”

WNCC had three early scoring opportunities in the second half. Austin Roy had a good shot on goal 13 minutes into the half that the pass just was out of his reach. Then, Albers had two scoring opportunities with just over 20 minutes to play. The second shot just sailed over the net.

Both team’s defense went into second gear as neither team had a good shot until with 8 minutes to play when Iowa Western had a free kick just outside the box. The shot went astray.

The turning in the point came with over four minutes to play when Iowa Western’s Daxton Beausoled was issued a red card, putting the Reivers down a player. A minute later, that is when Albers scored the winning goal.

Rasnic said that the Cougars’ late score might have been due to fatigue setting in on the Reivers late in the game.

“Iowa Western played [Saturday] and it is tough to play two days back-to-back at a full rate of speed,” he said. “I take my hat off to them, they did an excellent job today and we were fortunate to win. Toward the end of the match, some bad things happened and they ended up down a player and that helped us with an unfair advantage as well. They played the numbers really well and ended up scoring at the end of game.”

Iowa Western out shot the Cougars 6-1, while WNCC registered more corner kicks, 2-1, on the cold and windy Sunday afternoon.

“It was a win and the W’s count and that is what I like to see,” Rasnic said. “Whether it is 1-0, or whether it is not pretty, it doesn’t make any difference in the books. It is a W and that is what we were looking for.”

WNCC, 3-2, will be looking for its fourth straight win Wednesday when they travel to Cheyenne, Wyo., to face Laramie County Community College. The men’s contest begins at 2 p.m. with the women’s match starts at 4 p.m.

WNCC volleyball team falls to Iowa Western at Raider Invite

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team run at an undefeated season came to a screeching halt in the second day of the Raider Invite in Columbus, Neb.

After winning all three of their matches on Friday, the Cougar women went 1-2 on Saturday, falling twice to Iowa Western Community College. The second loss to IWCC ended the opportunity for the Cougar women to win their third straight tournament this season.

In a pool play match early Saturday morning, the Cougars suffered a straight set loss to the Reivers25-17, 25-19. That put the Cougars into a bracket play match up with Southeast Nebraska and the WNCC squad easily defeated the Storm 25-12, 25-13.

That sent the Cougars into a rematch with Iowa Western. The Cougars opened the match by winning the first set 25-15. WNCC, however, couldn't keep the momentum going as the Reivers won the next two sets 25-17, 15-12.

WNCC, 20-2, will return home for its home debut on Tuesday when they face Eastern Wyoming College at 7 p.m. Before the match, however, there will be a high school volleyball match taking place as the Leyton and Lingle-Ft. Laramie teams will battle around 5:30 p.m.

WNCC women's, men's soccer down Western Wyoming

Photos of the contests can be found on the Cougar Photo Gallery

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams used strong defense to open the home portion of their season with sweeps over Western Wyoming Community College Friday at the Landers Soccer Complex Friday afternoon.

The women snapped a 2-game losing skid in dropping the Mustangs 2-0, well the men defeated Western Wyoming 1-0 on a early goal by Scottsbluff’s Morgan Wall.

“Overall it was a good match for both teams,” WNCC soccer coach Todd Rasnic said. “In the men’s game, we had a lot of pressure and we out shot them 6-4. I wasn’t displeased with that. Certainly there was a little bit of luck on our side this evening.

“The women’s game was much the same. We got a late goal to make it 2-0. Again both [Western Wyoming] teams are stronger this year then they have been so we will have to continue to work hard. We are going to see them again [in the regular season] and we are going to see them again [probably at regionals]. We need to continue to improve as a team and that should help us maintain some strength in the region.”

Both squads will be back on the field at the Landers Complex Sunday when they host Iowa Western Community College. The women’s contest tips off at 11 a.m. against the No. 2 team in the nation, who has yet to be scored upon. The men’s contest follows. Iowa Western, however, will battle Western Wyoming today at the Lander’s Complex beginning at 11 a.m.

The Cougar women started the day off on a quick note as Ana Jacobo fed LeeAnna Paxton with a pass, in which she delivered into the back of the next seven minutes into the game. Neither team could find the net the rest of the half.

Both teams kept playing strong defense at the start of the second half. The Cougars, however, had plenty of near misses to pop in another score. The Mustangs, on the other hand, met up with a strong Cougar defense that held the Western Wyoming with out a shot for nearly 20 minutes. Western Wyoming’s best chance to score came with 2;30 left in the game, but Cougar goalkeeper Terri Huntington came up big.

By that time, though, the Cougar women had already added an insurance goal. With 4:27 left in the match, Jamie Gastelle received a corner kick from Jacobo and positioned within point-blank range of the net, headed the ball for the score as she was collided with.

Gastelle said that she didn’t see the ball go into the net on the score.

“Usually when I take a corner kick, I just watch the kicker and then I watch the ball and I try to position my head,” she said. “I think the ball came off my head because some other girl collided with me and I closed my eyes.”

The Cougar women had 13 shots on goal compared to eight for WWCC. Huntington recorded eight saves for the shutout win.

Gastelle said the women played well, but they will have to play better on Sunday.

“We did some really good combinations together and we communicated well,” the freshman from Ft. Collins, Colo., said. “But, we will have to play a lot better on Sunday. We will have to play to our best ability and we will have to work really hard for each other and get back on defense, communicate really well and get the ball up to the midfield quickly and take our shots.”

The Cougar men also had a good defensive effort in the win against Western Wyoming. The Cougars, just like the women, scored early and then shut down the Mustang offense for the win.

WNCC’s goal, which came 14 minutes into the match was a quick strike. Lazaro Torres dribbled the ball along the baseline and then fired a pass to Morgan Wall about 25 feet in front of the goal. Wall quickly hammered the ball straight into the net for the score.

WNCC had two prime scoring opportunities in the second half, one coming off a free kick, which sailed over the cross bar with 16 minutes left. Then, Nikko Ouzounis pushed the ball to within the box only to have his shot sail just right of the net.

The Cougars out shot the Mustangs 6-4. WNCC goalkeeper Cesar Bazana had four saves on the night.

WNCC will need even a better showing on Sunday when the Cougars host Iowa Western Community College. The women’s contest kicks off at 11 a.m. followed by the men’s contest at 1 p.m. Rasnic said the Reivers will be a challenge.

“We will have to put twice the games on the field on Sunday in both games,” he said. “The Iowa Western women are ranked No. 2 in the nation and they didn’t get that ranking for no reason. They are a quality team and a quality opponent and we will have to play our best game all season to compete with them and win. Same with the men. Their team is strong and traditionally they put a good team on the field so we have a lot of work to do. We understand that and we are working to become a better team and I think today we came out with two wins and that is the important thing as long as we see our mistakes and continue to improve as the season goes along.”

WNCC volleyball wins three matches at Raider Invite

COLUMBUS -- The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team continue to roll along after picking up three wins at the Raider Invite in Columbus Friday.

The Cougar women, who ran their unbeaten streak to 32 matches in a row dating back to last season, did not drop a game in earning wins over Casper College 25-11, 25-13; Cloud County Community College 25-6, 25-12; and Central Community College-Columbus 25-23, 25-17.

The Cougar women will have one more pool play contest today, against Iowa Western Community College at 7:30 a.m. IWCC entered the tournament unbeaten and fell to Butler County Community College in three games.

Assistant coach Nicole Gonzalez said they played well Friday, however, they will need to keep serving well today to claim another tournament title.

“We will definitely need to play our game and make sure we serve well,” Gonzales said. “A lot of times when we start losing is because we are not serving well. We are a good enough team in blocking, hitting and other areas, but if we start missing our serves, the other team starts getting points. If we serve well, we will be O.K.”

In the opening match against Casper, Fatima Balza paced the team with nine kills and five blocks. Kaleinani Kabalis finished with nine points, five digs, three aces and three kills, followed by Paulina Piegza with three kills; Sabina Piegza with 15 set assists; Gregner Quinones with seven points; Brooke Blomenkamp with six points; and Nayka Benitez with five digs.

Against Cloud County, Balza had 10 points and seven kills, while Sabina Piegza had six kills and 22 set assists. Also for WNCC, Quinones had eight digs and eight points; and Benitez had three aces and seven points.

Kabalis paced the Cougars in the Central-Columbus win, pounding home dight kills and getting three aces. Balza, Paulina Piegza and Cami Weimer each had six kills, while Balza also had six points, two aces and three blocks. Sabina Piegza finished with 25 set assists and five digs, while Quinones had two aces.

WNCC soccer teams set for home openers Friday against Western Wyoming

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s soccer teams will make their home debut Friday and Sunday at the Landers Soccer Complex.

The Cougar men and women will face Western Wyoming Community College on Friday. The women will kick it off at 2 p.m. followed by the men at 4 p.m. The Western Wyoming women enter the contest with a 1-1 record, while the Cougar will are 2-2. The WNCC ladies are looking to stop a 2-game losing skid, in which they 2-1 to Paradise Valley Community College and 2-1 in double overtime to Butler Community College.

The Cougar men, however, are heading into the home opener on a positive note, after downing Paradise Valley 2-1 on Saturday. The Cougars enter the Region IX showdown at 1-2, while the Western Wyoming Mustangs enter the contest with a 2-1 mark.

WNCC will then face Iowa Western Community College on Sunday at the Landers Complex with tip off of the women’s contest slated for 11 a.m. followed by the men’s match at 1 p.m. The women’s game can be heard on 106.9 Wild Country, while the men’s contest will be aired on 101.3 KOZY. Both matches will be on the Internet at www.kozy1013.com.

Both Iowa Western squads enter the contest with impressive teams. The IWCC women are ranked No. 2 in the nation and enter with a 4-0 mark. In fact, the Reivers have yet to be scored upon, including a 7-0 win against the University of Nebraska Club team.

The Iowa Western men enter the contest at 4-1 and have out scored their opponents 16-4. The Reivers fell to Marshalltown 2-0 the last time the team stepped on the field.
Iowa Western and Western Wyoming will also battle each other on Saturday at the Landers Complex, with the women’s match starting at 11 a.m . followed by the men’s.

WNCC volleyball goes to 16-0 with three set win over Casper College

Story courtesy of Jeremy Woznick, Scottsbluff Star-Herald

CASPER, Wyo. - The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team kept rolling merrily along Tuesday evening in Casper, Wyo., as the defending national champion Cougars disposed of Casper College by scores of 25-13, 25-12, 25-23.

The victory improved WNCC's record to a perfect 16-0 this season. With the win, WNCC also extended its winning streak to 29 matches in a row dating back to last season.

"It was a good match for us," WNCC coach Giovana Melo said. "The first two games we came out and played really good. But in the third one I thought we went in a little too relaxed and fell behind. But we got our focus back and we were able to come back."

After cruising through the Salt Lake Invite over the weekend against a field of nationally-ranked teams, WNCC showed no signs of a letdown against No. 11 Casper by steamrolling the Thunderbirds in the first two sets of the match. In the third set, the Cougars managed to overcome a double-digit deficit to earn the sweep.

Kaleinani Kabalis and Paulina Piegza paced WNCC in hitting in the match with 10 kills each. Fatima Balza added eight.

Kabalis and Nayka Benitez both served four aces. Benitez also led the Cougars defensively with seven digs.

Sabina Piegza totaled 32 set assists from her setter's position and also tallied three blocks. Also for WNCC, Balza finished with three blocks and Naomi Flinders had four digs.

WNCC, which is off to its best start in school history with 16 wins in a row to begin the season, will face another test against nationally-ranked teams at the Raider Invite in Columbus on Friday and Saturday. Also in the field with the Cougars will be undefeated Iowa Western Community College.

"I expected we'd do well, but I didn't expect to still be undefeated by this time," Melo said. "I'm really happy with it and happy with the way they've been playing and performing. It's exciting."

WNCC women's soccer falls to Butler County in double overtime

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team dropped two matches Saturday and Monday on their Arizona trip, while the men capped off the trip with a 2-1 win over Paradise Valley Community College.

The women, however, fell 2-1 to Paradise Valley Community College on Saturday, and then lost 2-1 in double overtime to Butler Community College in Denver.

WNCC coach Todd Rasnic still said he learned a lot about his teams after the weekend’s contests.

“It has been a very encouraging weekend,” Rasnic said. “We have two teams that are in a building process. If we continue to get better as the season goes long, it will be a good year for us.”

Even though the Cougar women lost in double overtime to Butler County, Rasnic said they were better then the Kansas squad. The difference in the contest was fatigue set in for the Cougars, who traveled 2,000 miles and played three matches in four days.

“The ladies were much better then Butler. We out played them,” he said. “It is one of those things where you cut your losses and go. We are going to make some changes of how the women are playing.”

It didn’t take WNCC long to score against Butler, netting the first goal in the third minute. Freshman Jaime Gastelle took a pass from Brooke Dudley and punched the ball into the back of the net.

Butler knotted the match at 1-1, scoring in the 30^th minute. Butler won the match scoring off a free kick in the 107^th minute of the contest. The free kick was given to Butler near the goal.

WNCC outshot Butler 8-3. Terri Huntington recorded six saves in the contest.

It was, in fact, the second straight 2-1 loss for the Cougar women. On Saturday, the Cougar ladies fell to Paradise Valley in Phoenix. In that contest, WNCC had a 1-0 halftime lead as Dudley delivered the ball to Ana Jacobo who sent the ball into the net.

No. 14 Paradise Valley, however, came back and scored two bang-bang goals in the second half, one at the 62^nd minutes and the other at the 73^rd minute for the win.

WNCC had 10 shots on goal, while Huntington delivered seven saves in the match.

The Cougar men had better luck against Paradise Valley, snapping a two-game losing streak. WNCC won 2-1 after leading 2-0 at intermission.

Lazaro Torres scored the first goal in the 29^th minute, and then a minute later, Tony Rocha netted the score. Freshman Austin Roy had both assists in the match.

The WNCC men had three shots on goal. Cesar Bazana delivered eight saves in the win.

Both teams will return to action this weekend with home contests. The Cougars will entertain Region IX foe Western Wyoming Community College on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m., before hosting Iowa Western Community College on Sunday. Sunday’s contests can be heard on the radio and the Internet. The women’s match will be on 106.9, while the men’s match will be aired on 101.3. Western Wyoming and Iowa Western will play each other on Saturday.

Rasnic said the team is looking forward to be playing at home. “We are excited to play at home. For me, I am physically exhausted right now and I didn’t even play a game,” he said. “When you go on a 2,000 mile road trip and have all this trouble we had, it feels good to be at home.”

The women’s team will have it’s hands full in their next three matches, beginning with facing No. 2 Iowa Western Community College, followed by No. 7 Laramie County Community College.

“I am looking forward to this weekend’s game, after we get some rest,” Rasnic said. “We will get them back at it after taking Tuesday off to recuperate and then we will get them pumped up to play next weekend.”

Alaska Anchrage-led volleyball team wins opening tourney under Green

Just like old times, former Cougar coach Green still winning,
Ex-Cougar player Meisner named to all-tournament team.

From the Anchorage Daily News Sunday website

Somewhere along the line, volleyball became a sport where every point is cause for celebration, which means by the end of a match, the winners have hugged, hollered and high-fived at least 75 times. Every kill, every ace, every mistake by the opponent is reason to jump for joy.
But Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex, UAA had more than the usual reasons to get giddy.

The Seawolves swept Texas Woman's University 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 to win their fourth match in a row, take the team title in the Extended Stay Deluxe Invitational, and serve notice that they might not be the pushovers they were last season.

With a 4-1 record and three three-set sweeps to their credit, the Seawolves are almost as successful as they were last year, when they won only five matches the entire season.

"We made a statement," said setter Calli Scott, a junior transfer who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "Look at last year when we weren't a contender, and now we've got something to say."

The Seawolves are saying they're already better than they were on Thursday, when they lost their season opener to 13th-ranked Central Missouri. Scott is saying the players are over their early timidness, and new coach Chris Green is saying the early success means the players will buy into what he's selling.

"This gives the coaches some confidence in the players and gives them some confidence in the coaches," Green said. "I think they see our system works.

"It allows me to continue to do what I'm doing."

As a junior college coach at Western Nebraska Community College, what Green did was win. He was 453-55 in nine seasons and won last year's national junior college championship.

At this point, no one at UAA is talking national championship, or even conference championship. Coaches in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference picked the Seawolves to finish last in the nine-team league.

But it's OK to talk Extended Stay Deluxe championship. The Seawolves won it fair and square, rebounding from the loss to Central Missouri to win every tournament match, including a pair of three-set sweeps Saturday over Texas Woman's University.

In their morning round-robin match against the Pioneers, UAA triumphed 25-22, 25-19, 25-13. Sophomore middle hitter Cortney Lundberg had 10 kills and three other Seawolves had nine apiece, including Rachel Kidwell, who added 17 digs, and Joanna Johnson, who had 16 digs.

In the day's other round-robin match, Harding University defeated Ohio Valley 25-17, 25-10, 25-13. In the third-placed match, Harding beat Ohio Valley again, 25-8, 25-9, 25-3.

In UAA's championship match victory against TWU, Rhea Cardwell was the big hitter with 15 kills and Kidwell was close behind with 13. Lundberg, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter, put up a big block, notching two solo blocks and assisting on six others.

The hitting woes that plagued UAA against Central Missouri were absent during the two-day tournament.

"We had a marked improvement in offense," Green said. "We were making better setting choices and our hitters were statistically much better."

Part of the turnaround can be attributed to the fact that none of the tournament teams were Top 20 teams like Central Missouri. But all three tournament teams all had better seasons than UAA did last year.

"I honestly think we stopped playing scared," Scott said. "There was maybe some beginning nerves. We've come together as a team.

"We would love another shot at Central Missouri."

Be careful what you wish for. UAA won't get another shot at the highly ranked Jennies, but in two weeks from now, the Seawolves will play in the Concordia Classic in St. Paul, Minn., where they'll face two teams ranked in the top five of the NCAA Division II rankings.

All-tournament Extended Stay Deluxe Invitational
All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Calli Scott, UAA
Other selections: Rhea Cardwell, UAA; Rachel Kidwell, UAA; Stacie Meisner, UAA; Manuela Nesheva, Harding University; Sharon Schaffner, Texas Woman's University; Danielle Veitenheimer, Texas Woman's University.

WNCC volleyball team wins Salt Lake tournament

Fatima Balza earned tournament most valuable honors and the Cougar women ran through the Crystal Inn Salt Lake Invite by winning all seven of their matches in capturing yet another tournament title Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah.

After winning all four of their matches on Friday against ranked opponents, the Cougars topped No. 6 Salt Lake Community College twice and No. 3 College of Southern Idaho to earn their third consecutive Salt Lake tournament title.

"It means a lot to us to prove that we are better then what people thought of us because of the pre-season poll,” first year WNCC coach Giovana Melo said. “We played very well sometimes and then up and down sometimes. Still, we were able to pull it out. I am really happy with the win, but we still have work to do.”

The Cougars earned the title by stopping the host squad Salt Lake Community College in the championship game 25-18, 25-20, 25-17.

Balza paced the Cougars with 12 kills, eight blocks, eight points and two aces. Kaleinani Kabalis, who was also named to the all-tournament team, finished with eight kills and five digs.

Also for WNCC, Paulina Peigza had nine kills, Naomi Flinders had four blocks and nine digs, Nayka Benitez had three points, two aces and nine digs; Gregner Quinones had 10 points and two aces; and Sabina Peigza had 35 set assists.

The Cougars earned the right to face Salt Lake for the title with an impressive win against No. 3 CSI 21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-12.

Melo said the were pushed in the contest, after dropping the first game.

“It was a good match. We came out on the short end in the first game and they kind of destroyed us in the first one,” Melo said. “We came back and pulled together and it was awesome defense. Everybody was saying how good this team was and how good they looked in the tournament. We just pulled it out and played well after the first game and beat them.”

Balza and Kabalis each finished with a double-double in the four-game win against CSI. Balza finished with 16 kills and 14 points, while Kabalis had 18 kills and 10 digs.

Also for the Cougars, Paulina Peigza had 10 kills and eight blocks; Benitez had 14 digs; Quinones finished with 12 digs and eight points; and Sabina Peigza had 46 set assists, five aces and 10 points.

In the first match of the day, a pool play encounter with Salt Lake, the Cougars took down the Bruins in three games 25-22, 21-25, 15-10.

Paulina Peigza led the way with seven kills. Balza chipped in five kills, two aces, five points and four blocks.

Also for the Cougars, Kabalis had six kills, five points and two aces; Sabina Peigza had four kills and 27 set assists; Benitez had 12 digs, four points and two aces; Quinones had six digs; and Brooke Blomekamp had six digs.

Melo said that one of the reasons they accomplished the tournament championship was because of their strong serving.

“When they finally focused and got serious, we started to play well,” she said. “We were able to get it together. We also served really well and we were able to take the other teams out of their system. We were also able to block at the net and stop their players.”

WNCC, 15-0 on the season, and will return to action Tuesday when they travel to Casper College for a 7 p.m. contest.

WNCC women defeat Phoenix College, men lose to Yavapai in soccer action

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — The Western Nebraska Community College soccer teams split contest on Friday in Prescott, Ariz.

The Cougar women remained unbeaten with a thrilling win over Phoenix College 2-1, while the men fell to No. 1-ranked and 6-time defending champions Yavapai College 8-1.

The Cougar women controlled the pace of the game, but it wasn’t until late in the game that frsshman Shaylee Williams went coast-to-coast to score the winning goal in the 82nd minute.

WNCC held a 1-0 lead at halftime as Anna Jacobo took a pass from Andrea Ardito for the goal.

Phoenix College tied the score in the second half before Williams’ winning goal.
Terri Huntington and Andrea Burger each spent a half in net, with Huntington getting the only save of the match.

The Cougar men weren’t as fortunate going up against the defending champions. Still, the Cougars stayed with Yavapai for a while. Yavapai scored first at the 10 minute mark. WNCC wasted little time in answering as Austin Roy took a pass from Tony Rocha to knot the score in the 12th minute.

Yavapai didn’t score again until the 22nd minute and went on to led 6-1 at halftime.
WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said they made a lot of improvement from last weekend’s season opener against Barton County.

“The score doesn’t reflect how well we played,” he said. “We played really well against a team that the players are over six-foot. They were huge players, strong and fast, and athletic.”

Cesar Bazana recorded eight saves in net as Yavapai had 16 shots on goal. The Cougars managed just four shots on goal.
Both teams will be back in action today when they face Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix. The Paradise Valley women are ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA pre-season poll.

After Saturday’s contest, the Cougar women will face Butler County Community College in Denver, while the men will have a scrimmage against Chiva’s also in Denver.

WNCC registers impressive wins in first day of tourney, goes to 12-0 on season

Submitted by JEREMY WOZNICK, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

SALT LAKE CITY — The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team rolled off four more wins in the opening day of the Salt Lake Invite on Friday in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The wins improved the Cougars to a perfect 12-0 on the season. WNCC will compete in one more pool play match today at 10:15 a.m. against Salt Lake Community College before entering bracket play.

WNCC opened Friday’s play with a 25-18, 25-19 win over North Idaho College. Freshman Kaleinani Kabalis powered down 12 kills and totaled six digs to lead the Cougars. Fatima Balza added seven kills and a team-high five blocks while Nayka Benitez registered five digs. Freshman Sabina Piegza tallied 20 set assists from her setter’s position.

In its second match of the day, WNCC posted a 25-15, 25-23 win over Hutchinson Community College. Balza led the way with 10 kills and nine big blocks. Kabalis added six kills and a team-high 11 digs and Benitez had seven digs and two aces. Sabina Piegza finished with 23 assists for the Cougars while her sister, Paulina, had six kills.

Three Cougars totaled double-figure kill totals in WNCC’s 25-7, 21-25, 15-10 win over Indian Hills Community College. Kabalis paved the way with 13 kills. Balza added 12 kills, while Paulina Piegza finished with 10 kills and four blocks.

Defensively, Benitez totaled 13 digs and Brooke Blomenkamp added eight. Sabina Piegza finished with a whopping 36 assists and added five blocks.

In its final match of the day, WNCC cruised to a 25-14, 25-11 win over Lakeland Community College out of Illinois. Sabina Piegza dished out 28 assists in the match. Kabalis pounded 15 kills, while Balza and Paulina Piegza each finished with eight. Benitez led the Cougars defensively with seven digs.

The defending national champion Cougars have won the tournament the last two years in a row.

WNCC volleyball wins four matches at Salt Lake Invite

The WNCC volleyball team won four matches at the Salt Lake Invite on Friday to run their record to 12-0 on the season.

The Cougars opened with a 25-18, 25-19 win over North Idaho College. They then defeated Hutchinson Community College 25-15, 25-23 before taking down Indian Hills Community College in three games 25-7, 21-25, 15-10.

The Cougars finished the day perfect by down Lake Land Community College 25-14, 25-11 to go 4-0 in their pool.

WNCC will have a cross-over match Saturday morning against Salt Lake Community College, before entering Bracket play begins Saturday at Noon.

The Cougars have won the Salt Lake tournament the past two years.

Volleyball looks to start fresh with new coach at UAA

From the University of Alaska Anchorage newspaper The Northern Light

By Mirinda Nick, Aug. 26, 2008

Media Credit: Courtesy WNCC [Click to enlarge]

With several new teammates and a new championship winning Nebraska-native coach, the 2008 season for the Seawolf volleyball team of 2008 has had a tasteful beginning.

Chris Green takes the head coaching position after nine years at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Neb. There he led the Cougars to 453-55 record, including a NJCAA Div. I national championship in 2007.

The addition of the new coach, Chris Green, has also brought the addition of freshmen and transfer athletes Stacy Miesner, Cortney Lundberg, Jackie Matthisen, and McKenzie Moss are each new to the team and to UAA.

"We have a long list of expectations for them," said Head Coach Chris Green, about the Lady Seawolves.

"Hopefully one of the reasons why they chose to come here is for the people that are here, the coaches, the community that they see when they come on their visit, and eventually the program will be successful enough that one of the reasons that they come is for our success in volleyball."

Green said that the team has a high sense of goals, and that they want to be competitive and do well within the conference.

The team had a disappointing 2006-07 season, notching only five wins. Previous head coach Michelle Earl resigned at the end of last season, finishing her three-year tenure with a 17-53 record, going 7-45 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

Green said that the team is facing tough competition within the conference. UAA is ranked in 8th in the GNAC for hitting percentage and blocks, and 9th for kills, assists and opponent hitting percentage.

"We definitely want the players to improve as the season goes along. We are not going to worry too much about wins and losses. We want to keep getting better as a team, and compete well; especially in the GNAC," Green said.

As students and teammates, the player will be watching their every move to meet the coach's anticipations.

"We outlined a lot of expectations on the first day," Green said. "As far as what we expect from them each and every day of practice, what we expect from them as students, our expectations for them as people in the community, and as young ladies in the community."

Green said he was enthusiastic about making the transition from Junior College to Div. II, and that he looks forward to what the season has to bring.

"We have a very tough preseason schedule and it is going to prepare us very well towards those high expectations that we have with GNAC," Green said.

Former WNCC baseball player Phillips Orta promoted from Kingsport to Savannah

Guerra has been promoted to High-A St Lucie and RHP Brant Rustich has been placed on the disabled list, the New York Mets announced Sunday. Right-handed pitchers Michael Olmsted and Phillips Orta have been promoted from Rookie-level Kingsport to replace Guerra and Rustich with Savannah.

Guerra, 23, was stellar in 10 appearances with the Sand Gnats, going 1-1 with 2 saves and a 1.75 ERA. The right-hander recorded 34 strikeouts against just 2 walks in 10 appearances. The San Felix, Venezuela native was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007.

Rustich, from San Diego, Calif., went 3-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 20 appearances (8 starts) with the Gnats. The 23-year-old suffered a right arm stress fracture.

Olmsted, 21, made two starts with the Gulf Coast Mets before being promoted to Kingsport. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native went 1-1 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts with the K-Mets. Olmsted was selected by the Mets in the ninth round of the 2007 draft. Olmstead will be Savannah's starting pitcher tonight in Charleston.

Orta, from Bolivar, Ven., went 4-4 with a 2.05 ERA in 14 games (3 starts) with the K-Mets. The 22-year-old was selected by the Mets in the 10th round of the 2006 draft. Orta appeared in one game with Savannah in 2007.

The Gnats begin their final road trip of the season tonight in Charleston, S.C. They return home for a season-ending three-game homestand with the RiverDogs on Saturday with Fan Appreciation Night. For tickets and more information, call 912.351.9150 or visit www.sandgnats.com.

Kabalis earns MVP honors at Molten Invite over the weekend

Three Western Nebraska Community College volleyball players earned recognition at the Molten Invite in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in which the Cougars went 8-0 in winning the opening tournament of the 2008 season.

Kaleinani Kabalis, Fatima Balza and Nayka Benitez were named to the all-tournament team, which was released over the weekend.

Kabalis, a freshman from Hilo, Hawaii, earned another honor at the tournament, garnering co-most valuable player honors, sharing the honor with Iowa Western’s Barbara Conceicao. Kabalis finished the tournament with 47 kills. Kabalis had a double-double performance in the win against Hutchinson Community College, finishing with 10 kills and 11 digs.

Other members of all-tournament team include Celeste Bonter and Ann Wagner of Iowa Western, Katja Stepanova and Nile Whaley-Garrison of West Plains, Holly Reynolds of Jefferson College, Karie Downing of Indian Hills, Ashley Beyer and Ashley Kimball of Kishwaukee, and Emily Calderon-Reyes of Hillsborough.

The Cougars, 8-0 and winners of their last 21 matches dating back to last season, will compete in the Crystal Inn Salt Lake Invitational Friday and Saturday, looking to win that tournament for a third straight year.

WNCC opens play in the tournament Friday at 8:30 a.m. against North Idaho College, followed by matches with Hutchinson at 11 a.m., Indian Hills at 1:30 p.m., and Lakeland Community College at 4 p.m. WNCC will also face Salt Lake Community College Saturday at 10:15 a.m. before entering bracket play.

WNCC volleyball wins Molten Classic with unblemished record

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will soon make Council Bluffs, Iowa, their second home after capturing another title in less then a year.

WNCC, after capping off the 2007 season with a national championship at the Mid-America Center, started their defense of the national tournament by capturing the Molten Classic championship by finishing the two-day tournament with an unblemished record.

After winning all four matches on Friday, the Cougars started day two with three wins in straight games. WNCC registered a 25-17, 25-15 win over Southwest Missouri-West Plains, and toppled Hutchinson Community College 25-16, 25-20. The Cougar women followed up with an impressive showing against Hillsborough Community College out of Florida, 25-9, 25-15.

The Cougars capped the tournament with a thundering victory over Cloud County Community College 25-10, 25-18.

WNCC coach Giovana Melo couldn’t be happier with the accomplishments of her team after the first tournament.

“It feels good to be 8-0 and I can take a little breath now,” she said. “We can enjoy this accomplishment for a day and then work on things for next weekend with other ranked teams.”

What was impressive about WNCC’s eight victories was that five of the teams they faced were ranked in the pre-season poll.

“They are excited,” Melo said. “They are happy to beat teams that were ranked and to prove to everyone that we should be ranked.”

WNCC started the day with an impressive win against Southwest Missouri-West Plains. In that contest, Fatima Balza finished with seven kills and 10 blocks.

Also for the Cougars, Paulina Piezga had eight kills and eight blocks; Kaleinani Kabalis had three kills, 10 digs, one ace and six points; Cami Weimer had three kills; Sabina Piegza had five blocks, 1 ace, eight points and 26 set assists; Brooke Blomencamp had four digs; Nayka Benitez had seven digs; and Grenner Quinones had seven points and two aces.

WNCC followed that win with a hard-fought win against Hutchinson as they used strong serving and hitting to get the win.

Kabalis paced the team with a double-double, recoring 10 kills, 11 digs, one ace and four points. Balza finsihed with nine kills, four blocks, and four points.

Also cor WNCC, Paulina Piegza had six points and three blocks; Sabina Piegza had seven digs, two aces, five points and 24 set assists; Benitez had six digs and one ace; and Naomi Flinders had one ace.

Then, the Cougars flexed their depth in a quick match against pre-season ranked Hillsborough. In fact,.

Paulina Piegza paced the Cougars with 11 kills and six blocks. Kabalis finished with six kills, nine digs and five points, while Balza had five kills, six blocks, three aces and 10 points.

Also for WNCC, Sabina Piegza had four blocks, three aces, six points and 25 set assists; Quinones had eight digs, one ace and five points; Benitez had five digs; and Flinders had five digs.

WNCC finished off the championship run by disposing of Cloud County 25-10, 25-18 as Paulina Piegza finished with 10 kills, two aces and four points.

Also for the Cougars, Whitney Roth had five points and five blocks; Weimer had three kills and three digs; Balza had five kills; Kabalis had four kills and three solo blocks; Blomenkamp had four points; and Sabina Piegza had 27 set assists.

Melo said that what really contributed to the championship drive was the talent of players as every one that played, contributed and played well.

“Every single player that got in did a good job and I was able to play around with the line up this weekend,” she said. “They all did well.”

The Cougars (8-0) will need that kind of same performance next weekend whtn they compete in the Salt Lake Invite in Salt Lake City. Melo said they will face Indian Hills, Hutchinson and North Idaho College in pool play on Friday.

WNCC soccer teams split with Barton County, women win 3-1 while men fall 5-0

The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team utilized a strong defensive effort in their season-opening contest in Great Bend, Kan.

The Cougar women received two goals from Ashley Quintana to register a 3-1 victory over Barton County Community College.

The Cougar men weren’t as fortunate against Barton County, falling 5-0 to the No. 11 team in the nation.

WNCC coach Todd Rasnic said his women’s squad played lights out in the win.

“Barton was much improved over last year,’ he said. “We were just very creative on the attacking side and had good flow. At no time was I threatened in the game. They just played very strong.”

Both squads settled for a 1-1 tie at intermission. Anna Jacobo scored on a Brooke Dudley assist.

The second half, the Cougars took control as Quintana netted both goals. Quintana’s first goal came off an assist by Jaime Gastelle. Jacobo recorded the assist on Quintana’s second goal.

Rasnic also praised Taylor John’s defensive effort against Barton’s top scorer Yesenia Garcia.

“Taylor stepped up today,” he said. “We had her against Yesmenia Garcia and she had her marked and slowed her down.”

WNCC recorded 10 shots on goal compared to Barton’s five. Cougar goal keeper Terri Huntington recorded four saves in net.

The men weren’t as fortunate as they faced an extremely talented Barton County squad.

“Their defense was so good. They were a better team,” Rasnic said. “Right now we have some work to do, and it is not the defense. It is the mid-field area.”

The Cougar men finished with just five shots on goal compared to Barton’s 12 shots. Cesar Bazana recorded seven saves in net.

WNCC will have two more matches Sunday in Great Bend. The women will play Hutchinson Community College at 10 a.m. followed the guys meeting Garden City Community College at noon. Rasnic said that Garden city is another good squad, who had the No. 2 team in the nation San Jacinto College down had halftime on Saturday.