The No. 4-ranked Odessa College volleyball team only needed three sets against rivals Midland College, winning by scores of 25-9, 25-12 and 25-16 Wednesday at the OC Sports Center.
With the win, the Lady Wranglers moved to 21-2, 6-1 and finished up the first half of WJCAC play.
The Lady Chaps fell to 7-12, 3-4.
It was a quick evening as Odessa College set the tone early and didn’t let up.
“I think it was a good win,” Odessa College head coach Dayna Acevedo-Rios said. “Playing Midland College, a rival team, it’s always exciting. We had a great crowd and the girls played well. There were some moments where the girls made some mistakes, but for the most part, they stayed disciplined and we took care of business.”
Kayla Williams had 15 kills to lead the Lady Wranglers while Devyn Lewis had nine and Jade Cuya and Liliana Mechura each had eight.
The Lady Wranglers had no trouble taking care of business early on, holding the Lady Chaps to less than 10 points in the first set.
Midland College kept things a little closer in the early part of the second set, holding Odessa College to an 11-8 lead before a timeout was taken.
However, Odessa College came out of the timeout on a 5-0 run to take a 16-8 lead.
It wasn’t long before the hosts had a 10-point advantage in the set.
A block by Williams on the next play gave the Lady Wranglers a 21-10 lead.
Odessa College used a 4-2 run to close out the second set with the game firmly in control.
The Lady Wranglers didn’t let up in the start of the third set, going on a 5-0 run.
It was soon 10-3 after a kill by Williams made it a seven-point advantage.
Another Williams kill made it 12-3 soon after.
However, the Lady Chaps would respond with an 8-3 run to close the gap to four.
“I think we knew exactly what they were going to do in terms of what they’re really good at,” Acevedo-Rios said. “They started to do those things and it took us a while to make those adjustments. They’re a really good team. We knew they would put up a fight. We did a good job at adjusting and setting the tone.”
Kills by Dynasty Andrews would help the Lady Wranglers keep ahead of the Lady Chaps and the hosts would also capitalize on errors to get the win.
“I think our setter (Cuya) did a great job of spreading the offense,” Acevedo-Rios said. “I feel like that’s something that gave us the advantage just because she was using all of our weapons. Kayla Williams and Liliana Mechura were an awesome force at the net. Devyn Lewis as well. I think as a unit, everyone stepped up and took care of their own role and played awesome.”
The Lady Wranglers will next face Western Texas College in a 2 p.m. contest Saturday in Snyder.
Midland College will be at home at 2 p.m. Saturday against Clarendon College.
