Volleyball Plays Tough Teams in Sam and Louie’s Restaurant Invitational
In their second day of the Sam and Louie's Restaurant Invitational, the Northeastern Junior College (NJC) Plainswomen played their toughest two games against the #6 ranked Snow College (SC) and Highland Community College (HCC). Beating both teams could help boost their own #16 ranking, especially after a tough loss to the #20 ranked Utah State.
The first game of the day against he SC Badgers started strong in the first set, but the Badgers snuck a few past the Plainswomen to win 25-14. Northeastern needed to find a way to penetrate the Badger defense if they wanted to win. Right away NJC dug themselves a hole and trailed by seven, but brought it back to tie it at 20. Snow, however, rallied the last five points to the Plainswomen's one, and NJC lost 25-21. In the third, the Plainswomen started strong, but confusion on the court hindered their momentum and allowed SC to mount a comeback. From there, both teams exchanged points until the very end. In the end, the Badgers edged out NJC to win 26-24.
In their second game of the day and the last of the weekend, NJC played the HCC Scotties. Northeastern had two rough outings, and a win over HCC could end the invitational on a good note. The Scotties showed in the first set that NJC needed to bring their best in order to beat them. Both teams exchanged points throughout the match, but a few mistakes late in the set cost NJC as they fell 25-22. In the second, NJC started the set well, but HCC rallied back. Both teams exchanged points once again throughout the set, but mental mistakes cost the Plainswomen late and lost 25-19. The third set mimicked the previous two as both teams took their turn scoring points, with neither team gaining a sizable advantage. Northeastern had a slight lead late in the set, but the Scotties managed to stump the Plainswomen and defeated NJC 25-23.
Northeastern will travel next week as they play in the Wyo-Braska tournament, first in Torrington, Wyo. then in Scottsbluff, Neb.