There were new faces across the net for the Odessa College women’s volleyball team.
The goal, and outcome, was the same for the Lady Wranglers.
Odessa College battled through an up-and-down first set and then dominated the rest of the night to defeat Amarillo College, 25-18, 25-9, 25-10 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play Wednesday at the OC Sports Center.
The 10th-ranked Lady Wranglers improved to 18-4 overall, 4-1 in conference.
The Badgers, in their first season, dropped to 14-8, 1-4.
“I thought it was good match,” Odessa College coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios said. “I think that their confidence is up and I think they are trusting each other a little bit more.
“They are kind of getting in the groove and understanding what it takes. This is only the third game that we’ve won that has been in three sets, so this is something really good.”
The Lady Wranglers went on several runs during the first set but could never truly separate themselves from the Badgers.
Leading 14-10, Odessa College watched as Amarillo College tried to claw its way back into the match, drawing within three (21-18) and forcing the Lady Wranglers to call a timeout.
Whatever Acevedo-Rio said to her team during the 75-second break worked as Odessa College reeled off the next four points, winning the set 25-18 on Rodrigues’s block on the right side.
That momentum carried over to the second set as the Lady Wranglers jumped out to a 12-3 lead behind a strong serve and solid block and never looked back, taking the two-set lead.
It was more of the same in the third set, with Odessa College scoring the first five points and then moving out to an 11-3 lead before steadily pulling away to complete the sweep.
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