Volleyball Triumphant Over McCook

Oct. 2, 2018, Sterling, Colo. – The number 19 ranked Plainswomen recently hosted Region IX opponent McCook Indians. Northeastern came off a long weekend of games in southern Colorado with only a few days rest, so the Indians caught the Plainswomen at a vulnerable time. Regardless of the situation, the Plainswomen had to be ready to play and find a way to win. 

In the first set it was apparent that Northeastern was rusty. The set was back and forth and the Plainswomen were never able to fully pull away from McCook. Despite allowing the Indians to hang around the entire set, Northeastern buckled down and won the first set, 25-23. 

The second set was a much different story as the momentum shifted away from Northeastern. The Plainswomen never fully found their groove which translated to missed opportunities. The Indians capitalized and won set two, 25-19. 

With set three in the midst, Northeastern knew they needed to close their blocks and find the gaps in their defense. Right away both teams found success, but it was McCook that was able to uncover some of the Plainswomen's weaknesses and take a slight lead. Although Northeastern tried to make a late run, the Indians won set three, 25-23.

Set four was crunch time for the Plainswomen. There was a different look in Northeastern's eyes that was lacking the previous two sets. As a fan, this was about to be good!

The Plainswomen took the lead early, but in true McCook form, they hung around and kept the game within reach. Northeastern got on a roll and rallied a few points together to make the score 16-11 before the Indians used a timeout. The timeout did not affect Northeastern as they strung together a 9-5 run and won the set 25-16. 

The excitement in the Bank of Colorado Event center was there. Fans were engaged and alive, players cheering for their teammates – it was go time. The set began with the Plainswomen jumping out to a 7-1 lead, but the Indians brought their umbrella and weathered the storm. McCook waited it out and attacked to bring it back to a 10-7 game. Just as McCook did, Northeastern let the Indians on their run, but then rallied it back together for the win. 

The Plainswomen will host the conference rival, the Western Nebraska Cougars on Friday Oct. 5.