Young MCC Volleyball team starts season Friday at home

Despite retuning only four players from a season ago, the McCook Community College volleyball team looks to contend for the tops of the standings this season in both Region IX and in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference.

With four returners, a sophomore transfer, and a redshirt, the 2022 version of MCC will include nine incoming freshman who will be put the test immediately with 13 matches on the slate before Labor Day.

Coach Hayley Kobza is in her seventh year as the coach of the Lady Indians. She was named the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019 and 2021. Her teams have gone 16-2 in conference games over the past three seasons. She won NCCAC championships in 2018 – the school's first since 1984 – and again in 2019 and 2021.

Since taking over a team that won just two games the season before her arrival, Kobza's career mark stands at 111-99 with a .529 winning percentage. MCC finished last season at 20-18.

For the first time in Kobza's tenure, the team will begin play at home Friday in the home tournament taking on Northeast Community College at 4 p.m. then play Lamar County at 10 a.m. Saturday and Dodge City at 2 p.m.

After that MCC hits the road for a game at Salina, Kan. before arriving in Dallas for a four-game tournament then the 18-team tournament at McCook on Sept. 2-3.

"That big tournament is not just an MCC event, it's a community event because we have so many teams coming in," Kobza said.

            That two-day tournament involves 18 teams from six states and a 37-game schedule, which for MCC, starts with back-to-back Friday matches against Butler, which finished at No. 4 nationally last year, and Iowa Western – the two-time defending national champions. MCC plays the Butler at 3 p.m. and Iowa Western at 7 p.m.

"It's a tough schedule (can't blame anyone because I make the schedule) but I think you're only going to get better if you play tough teams so you might as just jump in right away," she said. "If you look at the teams that are coming it is a really solid field."

One of the sophomores who will lead that early-season test is the only returner who received post-season recognition a season ago. Victoria Thomas, 5-8 right-side hitter, Houston, Texas. She appeared in 34 matches and had 192 kills, 201 digs, 12 service aces, 21 blocks and was named to the all-NCCAC team. She is one of four returners who played a season ago.

Makayla Brown, returns as 5-8 outside from Colorado Springs. She played in 37 matches, mostly at middle, and recorded 135 kills, 88 blocks, 53 digs and 12 service aces last year. Jisell Chumacero, 5-10 middle from Eaton, Colo., played in 22 matches and had 41 blocks and 57 kills.

Mckenna Crews, 5-6 defensive specialist, Loveland, Colo., took over that spot mid-way through her freshman season and posted double-digit digs in 10 of the team's final 11 matches. She ended the season with 266 digs, 51 assists and 28 service aces.

A'Dasia Porter, 5-8, middle blocker is a sophomore transfer from Lamar Community College, having spent a redshirt year there. She is a 2020 graduate of Copper Canyon High School in Glendale, Arizona. Anna Williams redshirted her first year at MCC and the 5-10 right-side hitter has two years of eligibility remaining. She is from Falcon High School in Peyton, Colo.

Assistant Coach Hannah Emerson, a former MCC player, is in her second season coaching and is excited about the depth, the talent, and the attitude she's seen with this group.

"We are really pretty solid and pretty deep," she said. "I think we're a little bit longer and taller and we've got a couple pretty good defenders at libero so I'm excited and think we're going to be a strong team," she said.

The eight incoming freshmen include:

• Jordan Duzenack, outside, 5-10, Loveland, Colo.,
• Fernanda Merancio, outside, 5-10, Lamar, Colo.,
• Gabby Caskey, outside, 5-11, Ogallala,
• Gracen Tuttle, middle, 5-11, Ogallala,
• Glorya Carr, middle, 5-9, Hugo, Colo.,
• Jessie Jerome, setter, 6-1, Rawlins, Wyo.,
• Alexis Pontine, setter, 5-10, Ignacio, Colo.,
• Greta Bolognini, defensive specialist, 5-8, Bergamo, Italy.

Coach Kobza said she thinks this group of student-athletes seems really focused on playing for each other and not just themselves.

"We've had a great fall camp with a lot of on and off-the-court quality time and they really mesh well together so I'm looking forward to what we can accomplish," she said.

For all the latest on MCC volleyball including the complete 2022 schedule, roster, photos, statistics and more you can stay current by visiting the official home of MCC Athletics at mccindians.com