MCC ends regular season with loss to Western Nebraska

The McCook Community College volleyball team closed out the regular season at home Wednesday with a straight-set loss to No. 20 Western Nebraska. The Cougars took the match 25-17, 25-18, and 25-23.

"We have a really good group and I've been saying this all season long,  but we've just never put it together for a full match but I'm a firm believer that this team has in in them," said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza. "I know it's going to happen… but this is such a phenomenal group and I know that have it in them."

As has been the case the past several weeks, the coach believes the team played well in its final regular season match at home, but not to its capability.

"This group, they know they have it. They want it. It's just a matter of when they are going to do it," she said.

Freshman Thaynara Isabela (São Paulo, Brazil) was the only player on the home team with double-digit kills, finishing with 10, to go along with seven digs and one assist block.

Freshman Jisell Chumacero (Eaton, Colo.) and sophomore Jordan Jerome (Rawlins, Wyo.) both had five kills. Chumacero also had one solo block and one assist block. Jerome pitched in five digs, two aces and one assist block.

Freshman Victoria Thomas (Houston, Texas) had three kills, freshman Makayla Brown (Colorado Springs) had four digs, one kill and one assist block and sophomore Amerika Jones (Honolulu, Hawaii) had one kill.

Sophomore Janie Sommer (Maxwell) led MCC with 14 assists along with five digs, three kills, one ace and two assist blocks. Freshman McKenna Crews (Loveland, Colo.) led MCC with 15 digs to go along with three set assists.

Sophomore Kaylee Palmieri (Gibbon) was credited with seven digs and freshman Jaycee Widener (Wellfleet) had seven assists.

Looking at the seedings and possible pairings for the Region IX Tournament starting Nov. 3 in Scottsbluff, MCC is looking at a likely fourth seed in the south which would mean an 8 a.m. win-or-go-home match Wednesday, Nov. 3 against the fifth seed in the north. Pairings and seedings will be announced when all the Region IX games are finished. There are four matches Friday and four more Saturday. A win in the first round would put MCC into the double-elimination portion of the bracket for the tournament which runs through championship games Nov. 5 and Nov. 6.

"This team is perfectly capable of a late run and why not be the team that comes in and does something different," Kobza said.

MCC goes to 19-16 and Western Nebraska ends the season at 22-13.

"We have four practices and I think we're going to build momentum there," Kobza said.