Postseason play has arrived for an Odessa College volleyball team that has faced some ups and downs in head coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios’ first year at the helm.
The Lady Wranglers are heading into the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Tournament as the fourth seed, matching up against Western Texas College to kick things off at 5 p.m. Friday at the OC Sports Center.
Acevedo-Rios feels good about her team’s chances since it gets to play the tournament on its home court, where it has posted an 8-2 record during the 2021 fall campaign.
Odessa College’s only home loss in conference play came against New Mexico Junior College in five sets on Oct. 16.
“It’s exciting, I think this season we have always played better at home so I feel very confident,” Acevedo-Rios said. “I think that we have played all these teams that we’re going to face and we have been putting in the work.”
The Lady Wranglers are going into the postseason tournament having won two of their last three matches, with its final regular season contest being a 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 loss against Midland College on the road.
After the loss, Acevedo-Rios said she felt that the Lady Chaps found a way to slow down the attacking play of Yasmin Figueiredo and Daniela Rodrigues.
The freshman duo plays a large portion of its game on the front line and has combined for 339 kills this season.
To fix that issue, the head coach said the focus over the week in practice has been on expanding the team’s shots and using its resources wisely instead of leaning too heavily on something that works consistently.
“We have tools to be successful and I think that our girls know that, they’re confident that they can show up and play,” Acevedo-Rios said. “It’s just how can we expand our tools and make the most out of it.”
If the Lady Wranglers defeat Western Texas College, they’ll move on to face top-seeded New Mexico Military Institute at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The winner of that contest goes on to play in the championship match later that afternoon, with the winner advancing to play the NJCAA Region I tournament champion.
A spot in the NJCAA National Tournament is secured by the winner of the Region V-Region I contest.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Lady Wranglers were in the national tournament, playing there in April under former head coach Kristi Gray, who now coaches at the University of Louisiana.
Only three players remain from that squad: Serenity Mamizuka, Sydney Collins and Lyric Love.
With the majority of the fall 2021 roster comprised of new faces, playmakers like Rodrigues have taken on the responsibility of being a vocal leader on the court.
At multiple points over the season, Rodrigues could be seen giving orders and helping push her teammates to keep them composed in matches.
She said she holds her personal play to a high standard and wants to set a good example for everyone on the team to follow.
Rodrigues wants to use the upcoming match as an opportunity to improve off her performance against Midland College where she recorded 10 kills and two blocks.
Acevedo-Rios said her team is ready to go for the conference tournament, noting that every player believes there is still a lot to fight for.
“This week, they’ve showed up and they want to get stuff done. They don’t want to be done, it’s not over yet,” she said. “I feel like they’re leaving everything on the floor and I think that’s a good confidence booster for the weekend.”
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