MCC Volleyball opens season Friday at home

The McCook Community College volleyball team will open the season with home tournaments in two of the first three weekends. Coach Hayley Kobza hopes that competitive grind early will help propel the team to the next level.

Kobza, in her eighth year heading the program, is a four-time Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the year and her squad is coming off a 21-10 season in 2022.

The team has gone 28-2 in the Nebraska conference over the past five years (against North Platte, Southeast and Central). However, the team has yet to rise to the top of the Region IX standings. Last season MCC went 7-3 in the south sub-region standings, the best mark since Kobza assumed head coaching duties in 2016.

Perennially, Western Nebraska and Northeastern Junior College have topped the south standings. Since 2016 MCC has gone just 3-25 against those two teams. Last season Western Nebraska went 34-5, finished sixth in the nation and swept MCC while NJC went 22-15 and split with MCC.

"Taking down those top teams is a mindset of believing that we are just as good," Kobza said. "When teams play McCook they should also feel like they are playing Western Nebraska or NJC. It's all about making a team that believes in themselves.

The 2019 squad that went 25-12 took down both Western and NJC when both teams were ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

The 2023 version of MCC will begin with home tournaments Friday and Saturday and again over the Labor Day weekend.

MCC's Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center has finally become a home-court advantage – a 65 percent winning percent since 2019 – and an 11-5 mark at home last season. Kobza would like to make it even more difficult for opposing teams to come to McCook and get wins.

"I really like starting our season off in a tournament at our house," said Kobza. "One, not only is it building our community but, two, it helps build our fan base for the whole season."

While MCC will host some tough teams in their tournament, the coach says it's not just about playing volleyball at home but it's also about watching a lot of volleyball.

"You only get better when you surround yourself with volleyball," said Kobza.

MCC returns six sophomores, adds one transfer and brings in seven freshmen.

"We have four returners who played regularly. They are a strong group of leaders and highly recruitable athletes," said Kobza. "They are getting a lot of looks from four-year schools."

Fernanda Merancio, outside hitter from Lamar, Colo. played in 32 matches as a freshman and ended her season with 289 kills, 125 digs and 38 blocks. She was named to all-Region IX first team, the all-tournament and the all-NCCAC team. Despite breaking her foot in April, she has not experienced any setbacks.

"She has picked up where she left off her strong freshman year," said Kobza.

Also returning on the outside is Jordan Duzenack, from Thompson Valley High School in Loveland, Colo. who played in 19 matches and recorded 126 kills, 70 digs and 21 blocks.

Gabby Caskey, middle from Ogallala played in 33 matches as an outside hitter last season with 192 kills, 42 aces, 317 digs and 75 blocks.

"Gabby is strong in the interior so I think she'll be a powerhouse for us in the middle this year," Kobza said.

Her former Ogallala teammate Gracen Tuttle played in 23 matches and tallied 73 total blocks for the season as a middle blocker.

Jessie Jerome, setter from Rawlins, Wyo. played in 29 matches and had 551 assists, 85 kills, 35 aces, 44 blocks, 200 digs and finished with an average of 6.72 assists per set. She ranked fourth in the south sub-region in assists and was named to the all-Region IX second team.

"For her there has been a 'night-and-day difference' between her freshman year of the preseason until this year," Kobza said. "She has a phenomenal presence on the court and as a leader."

Greta Bolognini, defensive specialist from Bergamo, Italy (via Lincoln Parkview Christian High School), played in 34 matches as a freshman recording 281 digs and 42 aces from the service line.

"Greta is another outstanding player and I'm excited to see her in a leadership role on the floor," said Kobza.

The coach calls her seven freshmen, a scrappy, young and athletic group.

"Those are all the qualities you want to have and they are all coachable," said Kobza.

Romina Martinez Castro, an outside hitter from Cochabamba, Bolivia, began playing club volleyball when she was nine and started playing internationally when she was 12. She has played both floor and beach volleyball.

"She is another exceptional athlete who can play anywhere," said Kobza.

Caylin Barnett, an outside hitter from Southwest High School, set Southwest records in season and career digs, career kills and career points – a career that included more than 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 1,000 serve receives. She finished with 1,199 kills and 1,211 career digs, a .271 hitting percentage, 106 service aces and 34 blocks.

"She is hungry," said Kobza. "She comes in and does every single drill at 110 percent and just wants to be better."

Barnett was selected all-conference second team in 2019 and first-team in her sophomore through senior seasons. She helped lead the Roughriders to a record-breaking 27-7 season.

Kenzie Waggoner, outside from Kit Carson High School in Colo. had 848 career kills in 310 sets, with 897 digs, 132 aces and 82 total blocks. She enjoyed success on the court as a freshman, received honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore, all-conference first team her final two years and all-state as a senior.

Lexi Schaefer, defensive specialist/libero from Fleming High School in Colo. appeared in four Colorado state championship tournaments and finished with one championship and three state runner-up finishes. She was an all-conference honorable mention her sophomore and junior years, named all-conference and first-team all-state her senior year.

"Lexi is super scrappy and will be nice to have and follow Greta's lead," Kobza. "She's learning a lot from Greta."

Kayten Hagan, a setter from Amherst High School set the school's career assist record with 1,236, playing in 326 sets with 443 digs and 81 serving aces. At Amherst the team broke the school record for wins, finished 27-8 and was the first Amherst team to win a game at the state tournament.

April Conilogue, middle blocker from Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colo, is her school's all-time blocks leader, capping it last season with 90 total blocks and 122 kills. She is a three-year varsity player in volleyball, basketball and soccer.

"April is super feisty," Kobza said. "And I would describe her as 'spicy at the net.'"

Rowan Tribelhorn, middle from Yuma, Colo. attended Otis High School. In four years on the court she had 247 total blocks, 854 kills, a 34.6 percent kill percentage, 405 digs and 56 service aces.

"Our team decides what we're going to be every season and we have a pretty strong culture," Kobza said. "I think it's about how much we believe in what we've decided we want for this team."

The season opens at home Friday in the MCC tournament with the first match at 1 p.m. against Hutchinson Community College and 7 p.m. against Gillette College. On Saturday, MCC hosts Seward County at 2 p.m. and Barton County at 4 p.m.

In the Labor Day weekend tournament at McCook, MCC hosts Frank Phillips College at 3 p.m. Sept. 1 and 7 p.m. against Dodge City. Matches on Sept. 2 are 2 p.m. against Fort Scott and 6 p.m. against Garden City.

Other key home dates include Sept. 19 against Western Nebraska, Sept. 22 against Northeastern JC and Sept. 26 against North Platte.