Nothing comes easy for the Odessa College Volleyball team.
The Lady Wranglers’ Jekyll-and-Hyde personality reared its head again against New Mexico Junior College in Western Junior College Athletic Conference action Wednesday.
After winning the first two sets, Odessa College was forced to battle its way to a 25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 27-25 victory at the OC Sports Center.
“This team, I don’t know what it is about playing three straight sets,” Odessa College head coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios said. “I don’t know if they relax or what but we need to have the same energy the whole match.
Daniela Rodrigues had 17 kills to lead the 10th-ranked Lady Wranglers (16-4 overall, 2-1 in conference), with Myllena Torquetti adding 10 in the victory.
Setting Kadyne Emmot finished with 40 assists.
After watching the hosts take the first two sets, the visitors made a match out of it by taking control of the third set from the service line.
Leading 11-8, Milena Cerjanski increased the Lady T-Birds lead to 15-8 before a kill by Odessa College’s Bella Green.
A hitting error by the Lady Wranglers returned the serve to New Mexico JC (13-6, 1-2) and Maggie Machado reeled off three more to push the lead to 19-10.
The Lady Wranglers tried to claw their way back into the match but had dug too deep a hole, with Karielys Maldonado finished the third set for New Mexico JC with a crosscourt kill.
It was a back-and-forth set with neither team moving more than three points ahead through the early going.
That changed when New Mexico JC reeled off five straight points for a 23-19 lead late in the set.
A serving error brought the Lady Wranglers’ within three before Iva (13-6, 1-2) Popovic gave the Lady T-Birds set point and the serve.
Rodrigues and Torquetti took it from there for the Lady Wranglers, who won seven of the next eight points for the victory.
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