MCC Volleyball sweeps Trinidad State on Sophomore game

The McCook Community College volleyball team swept Trinidad State Saturday at home in a key Region IX South match. MCC won 25-25, 25-21 and 25-23.

"Trinidad's a really good team, great players their libero is phenomenal and their middles are awesome," said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza. "This was a good win."

This was the final home match for seven sophomores: Fernanda Merancio (Lamar, Colo.); Jordan Duzenack (Loveland, Colo.); Gabby Caskey (Ogallala); Gracen Tuttle (Ogallala); Jessie Jerome (Rawlins, Wyo.); Emerie Rios (Sterling, Colo.); and Greta Bolognini (Bergamo, Italy/Parkview Christian, Lincoln, Neb.)

The win over Otero Friday and Trinidad State Saturday keeps MCC's mathematical chance to move up to the second seed in the post-season tournament. She said the best-case scenario for MCC is for Trinidad State to beat Western Nebraska so the three teams would end up in a three-way tie for second place.

"This weekend we came in waves, there were some really great things but there were times when we struggled," Kobza said. "In the long run we just came in and we got to work and we wanted it a little bit more. We had great things from all the players and even the ones that aren't on the court, they are just as talented as the ones we have on the court right now."

MCC was down 20-17 in the second set before going on an 8-1 run to close out the set.

The coach said her back row of Bolognini along with freshmen Caylin Barnett (McCook/ Southwest H.S.) and Romina Martinez (Cochabamba, Bolivia) has come together to shore up the defense.

"Romina, Caylin and Greta. That back row is unnatural with those three," said Kobza.

On Saturday, Bolognini led MCC with 19 digs, Barnett had eight and Martinez had seven.

Jerome was credited with 10 digs and led the passing attack with 16 assists along with six kills, one assist block and an ace. Freshman Kayten Hagan (Kearney/Amherst H.S.) added 11 assists.

Merancio had nine kills to tie Martinez with the team lead. Duzenack had six kills and four assist blocks.

In the middle, Caskey had three kills, four assist blocks and three aces. Tuttle had one assist block and freshman April Conilogue (Longmont, Colo.) had an assist block.

Saturday was also the return of the 1980 volleyball team which under coach Stan Garretson, went 40-11-5, won the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference, won the Region IX tournament, beat Cloud County in the sub-region championship and advanced to the NJCAA Championship Tournament in Miami, Fla.  This team won five tournaments, 29 tournament games, 10 triangulars and at one point in the season played 12 matches in five days in three cities and had a 17-match win streak during the season, rising to the No. 9 spot in the national polls.

Players from that team who returned for the team's reunion and alumni weekend included Marian Kotschwar-Richards, Tammie Middaugh-Zachmeier, Lynn Krolikowski-Johnson, Deb (Jones) Einspahr, Barb McBee-Carbone, Denise Garey, Katrina Minnick-Oaklund, Julie Quador-Vrbas, Jeanne Porter-Limbach, along with Coach Stan and Ellen Garretson and their daughter, Gail from the '75-'77 MC Volleyball team.

"Having this 1980 team come in was incredible," said Kobza. "It was just so fun having Coach Garretson talk to our team and his players told such awesome stories. It was so fun for us to hang out with that team."

The Lady Indians close out the regular season at Lamar Oct. 28. The Region IX D1 tournament begins Nov. 1.

REGION IX

SOUTH STANDINGS

(Top Four Teams qualify for Region IX Tournament)

                               W-L     PCT.              OVERALL        

Northeastern JC         8-0       1.000              28-2     (.933)  

Trinidad State JC        5-3         .625              15-14    (.517)

Western Nebraska      5-3         .625              14-15    (.483)

McCook CC                5-4         .555              21-11   (.636)  

Lamar CC                  1-7         .143                8-16   (.333)

Otero JC                    0-7         .000                6-19    (.240)  

Region IX South weekend results

FRIDAY

     McCook 3, Otero JC 0

     Trinidad State 3, 0

SATURDAY   

     McCook 3, Trinidad State 0

     Otero JC at Lamar, 2 p.m.

Remaining Region IX Souith Schedule

OCT. 27

     Northeastern JC at Otero, 7 p.m.

     Western Nebraska at Trinidad State, 7 p.m.

OCT. 28

     Western Nebraska at Otero, 1 p.m.

     MCC at Lamar, 3 p.m.

     Northeastern JC at Trinidad, 3 p.m.