Plainswomen Opening Weekend Success in Casper

Aug. 28, 2018, Sterling, Colo. – The Plainswomen volleyball team traveled to Casper, Wyo. to play in the Casper Invite. The women opened up the first day with a win over the host team, and looked to add on to it with four more games throughout the next two days. They had some tough competition, but nonetheless were ready to play.

Coming off their five-set win against Casper, the Plainswomen were a little bogged down, but knew they had to come ready to play against Colorado Northwestern Community College. The match began, and the women showed their dominance by scoring early and often. The first set ended in a 25-7 victory. The second set was another good showing by Northeastern as they defeated the Spartans 25-9. Northeastern sealed the deal in the third with a 25-10 win. Sara Antic lead in kills with nine, and Cierra Williams mustered up 10 digs.

Game two had the Plainswomen facing off against Sheridan College Generals. The Plainswomen knew the Generals would play much differently than the Spartans, so they needed to come out and do their work early. The first set went back-and-forth until Northeastern edged them out with a 26-24 victory. Set two proved to be another good matchup as it would go to 25-21, with the Plainswomen having the advantage. In set three, the ladies proved to be too much for Sheridan and got an early lead, which they kept to get the 25-15 win. Antic again lead Northeastern in kills with 13, and Julia Gutierrez Mas lead in digs with 15. The three-set sweep gave them the sweep on the day, which gave them momentum into their third and final day of the invite.

With a full two days and three games behind them, the final day of the invite showed what the Plainswomen were made of. Not only had they played many games, but their final day's game was early in the morning, adding another piece of adversity to the puzzle. Their opponent this time was a tough Salt Lake Community College team ranked No. 15 in the country. Regardless, the Plainswomen were focused on the game in front of them and were ready to battle. Set one went as expected – a tough game until the end, with the Plainswomen getting the win 25-21. With set two in the midst, the girls knew they needed to repeat the same game plan to put themselves in good position. They did just that, and were able to get set two with a score of 25-21 again. Set three was a little different as Salt Lake switched up their game plan to a different rotation that allowed them to take the third set by narrowly edging out Northeastern 28-26. Northeastern was starting to feel the burn of the trip, and wanted to get this win, and were just a set away. In set four, the Plainswomen tried, but fell just short with a score of 25-22. With the game tied in sets 2-2, Northeastern's tank was running low. In the final set, the ladies fell 15-5, giving them their first loss of the season. Sara Antic again lead in kills with 19, Ashlyn Martinez had 12, and Julia Gutierrez Mass had 10. Defensively, Cierra Williams had 28 digs, Julia Gutierrez Mass had 26, and Sara Antic had 17. Additionally, Ryan Nelson found herself having four block assists.

The ladies fifth and final game on the weekend was against Northwest College. Despite being tired, the ladies finished the invite strong and on a high note. Set one was a challenge at first, but eventually they pulled away with a 25-20 win. Set two was a repeat of the first, and the Plainswomen got the win again 25-20. The third and final set was a great showing by Northeastern as they buckled down, played ball, and came away with the 25-13 win. Kacey Jaeger would lead the team in kills with 12, with Sofija Pajevic following with eight. Defensively, three girls were neck in neck in being the game leader in digs, but Cierra Williams had 14, Kinley Coe had 13, and Sofija Pajevic had 12.

The Plainswomen will be on the road to play the North Platte Knights on Wednesday, Aug. 29 before traveling to Region opponent Eastern Wyoming on the Aug. 31.