VOLLEYBAL: No. 9 OC outlasts Lady Chaps in five-set thriller
Wednesday’s volleyball match between Midland College and No. 9-ranked Odessa College wouldn’t have been complete without some drama and a roller coaster of emotions.
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By Oscar LeRoy MIDLAND, TEXAS - Wednesday's volleyball match between Midland College and No. 9-ranked Odessa College wouldn't have been complete without some drama and a roller coaster of emotions. In the end, it was Odessa College which outlasted MC, 19-25, 25-16, 25-10, 11-25, 21-19, in a nail-biter at Chaparral Center. "They like to make it fun," said OC coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios of her Wranglers. "One of the things we talked about for this game was earning every single point and I think they we were working hard. Even when we were down, they were still working hard and trying to earn it. "Midland is a good team too. I think they have some hitters who are just solid all around. When you stop one, you have to try to stop the other. It was a very fun match to coach, and obviously watch." With the victory, OC (20-4 overall) takes sole possession of first place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference with a 6-1 mark. MC fell to 12-7 overall and 5-2 in the WJCAC after playing its second straight five-set match against a ranked opponent. The Lady Chaparrals were coming off a 3-2 victory over then No. 9 New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. "It's encouraging. We haven't played many five set matches. I think this only our third five-set match," MC coach Tammie Jimenez said. "It shows that we have some resilience to us and we have some grit in us, but it also showcases that we take too many points off and get ourselves in a rut. "When you look at how we played the first set, set four and set five, if we would have been consistent, it would have been a completely different ballgame." After the Lady Chaps won the first set against OC, the Lady Wranglers rebounded to win the next two, including the third set in dominating fashion. But the Lady Chaps regrouped and dominated the fourth match – leading by as much as 20-4 -- to force a fifth and deciding set. "Because we won with such great advantage (in the third set), I think the girls expected them to roll over," Acevedo-Rios said. "That's something the girls have been struggling with all year. At the beginning of the season, we couldn't win in three sets. It's one of those things that they need to work on being hungry and just understand that nobody is going to give the game to them. They have to go out and earn it." The fifth set mirrored the rest of the match as the teams went back and forth with each team hoping to deliver that knockout punch. OC's Ainara Fernandez came up with some key kills for her team, while MC's Linda Conceicao (11 kills, 2.5 blocks) also stepped up with some clutch plays of her own to keep her team in the contest. Ultimately, a couple of errors by MC gave the Wranglers the win. "I like seeing that we have fight in us," Jimenez said. "I like seeing that we can be gritty. I like seeing that we can handle pressure when our backs are against the wall, we can still turn around and put up a good game. There's nothing but progress that can be made. At least I hope so." Zoe Fernandez finished with a double-double for MC with 13 kills and 13 blocks, Petra Fernandez had 12 kills, Julia Kabala had 25 assists, and Miranda Acosta added 18 digs The Lady Chaps now look to put this match behind them and move on to a contest at Clarendon College at 2 p.m. Saturday to begin the second round of WJCAC play. "You play two really tough teams out of our conference (back-to-back). It takes a lot out of you physically, it takes a lot out of you mentally," Jimenez said. "It doesn't matter. This conference is tough, and we have to be able to show up and produce." Follow Oscar on Twitter: @OLeRoy_MRT
NO. 9 ODESSA COLLEGE DEF. MIDLAND COLLEGE 19-25, 25-16, 25-10, 11-25, 21-19 Midland College statistics Kills – Zoe Fernandez 13, Petra Fernandez 12, Linda Conceicao 11, Laura Milori 8, Angelli Sanchez 2, Ana Zink 1, Julia Kabala 1, Kinga Romanowicz 1, Megan Runyan 1 Digs – Miranda Acosta 18, Z. Fernandez 13, P. Fernandez 6, Milori 5, Kabala 4, Zink 2, Sanchez 1, Romanowicz 1, Runyan 1, Ornelas 1 Assists – Kabala 25, Zink 14, Acosta 2, Z. Fernandez 2, Milori 1, Conceicao 1, Runyan 1 Blocks – Conceicao 2.5, Zink 2.0, Romanowicz 1.0, Z. Fernandez 0.5 Aces – Ornelas 4, Kabala 2, Acosta 2, Z. Fernandez 1, Kabala 1 |
