The Odessa College volleyball team began conference play on the right note, defeating Western Texas College in three sets Wednesday night at the OC Sports Center.
Entering the game ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA rankings, the Lady Wranglers won easily by scores of 25-14, 25-12, 25-16 and improved to 16-1 overall, 1-0 in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
“I think the girls took care of business,” Odessa College head coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios said. “We watched film on them and scouted them and had a game plan. The girls took care of the rest. We executed well.”
The Lady Westerners fell to 10-8, 0-1.
“I think we competed well in some parts,” Western Texas College head coach Melissa Avila said. “We fought point for point for them. Then, the middle of the sets saw them go on a run and we couldn’t slow them down. We saw some good things. We had some good touches on the ball. Our hitters did a good job of trying to get them out of a system as much as possible. But they’re a good team.”
It was the first home game for the Lady Wranglers since their two-day tournament at the OC Invite back on Aug. 25-26.
“This is a different team because of the progress that we’ve made and how comfortable we are with each other,” Acevedo-Rios said. “Every time we play here, it feels like a different team.”
The Lady Wranglers built a 16-9 lead in the first set.
Devyn Lewis led the team in kills with 12 while Kayla Williams had 10 and Hanna Nemeth finished with 9.
Camila Canedo and Nemeth each had 12 digs and Jade Cuya had 43 assists along with her four kills and nine digs.
Odessa College remained in control and took a 22-14 lead soon after.
The Lady Wranglers weren’t denied and won the set 25-14.
Odessa College took a 4-3 lead early in the second set.
The Westerners battled back to tie things up at 6.
The Lady Wranglers then broke free on a 4-1 run to take a 10-7 lead.
A kill by Devyn Lewis made it 11-7 on the following play and a block by Liliana Mechura gave the hosts a five-point lead on the following play.
The Lady Wranglers then expanded their lead to 17-9.
Odessa College refused to concede and an error by the Lady Westerners made it 22-9.
The Lady Wranglers took the second set 25-12.
The Lady Wranglers continued where they left off, beginning the third set with a 6-3 run.
A kill by Williams made it 7-4, soon after.
Following a timeout, Lewis came out with a kill to make it 10-5.
Mechura followed it up with her own kill on the next play to help keep Odessa College firmly in control.
Williams continued to pad her stats with another kill, bringing the hosts to a 20-12 advantage and there was no denying the Lady Wranglers.
Odessa College will stay at home this weekend.
The Lady Wranglers will next face New Mexico Military Institute at 2 p.m. Saturday at the OC Sports Center.
“I think if we stay focused and hungry, we’re good,” Acevedo-Rios said. “We have to stay focused. Western Texas has a good team. We just didn’t allow them to execute. But they’re really good.”
