In a battle between the top two teams in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, it was No. 3 New Mexico Military Institute that prevailed against the No. 10 Odessa College volleyball team.
The Lady Broncos won in four sets, winning by scores of 25-27, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22 to remain undefeated in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play Wednesday night at the OC Sports Center.
With the win, New Mexico Military Institute improved to 23-2 overall, 9-0 in conference and now has a two-game lead on the Lady Wranglers in the WJCAC standings with four games remaining.
Odessa College fell to 19-7, 7-2.
New Mexico Military Institute also won the last meeting against Odessa College in a five-set contest last month.
“Every night in this conference is a tough night,” New Mexico Military Institute head coach Shelby Forchtner said. “(Odessa College) is one of the best teams in the nation. We didn’t come out and do what we needed to do, offensively, and lost the first set because of it. we have to find a way to be more consistent.”
It was the first time since Sept. 25 that New Mexico Military Institute didn’t win a game in three sets.
The loss ended the Lady Wranglers’ six-game winning streak.
“It’s a tough one,” Odessa College head coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios said. “This is always a battle to play NMMI. They’re always a good matchup for us. I think that what we lack, they have and vice versa. I think it was a tough matchup. I think the girls have gotten better. We still have some things to work on but I think we knew that this match would be tough. I think a lot of errors in key moments were why we didn’t come out on top.”
A 15-11 Odessa College lead shrunk to one point after a 4-1 run by New Mexico Military Institute.
Both teams continued to trade points and soon the set was tied at 20-20.
An error by the Lady Broncos led to a 2-0 run by Odessa College.
However, NMMI responded with a 2-0 run of its own to tie it back up.
With NMMI leading 24-23, two consecutive kills by Lauren Dale put the Lady Wranglers on the brink of winning the set.
Tully Bew’s kill gave the Lady Wranglers the first set victory at 27-25.
New Mexico Military Institute took an 12-8 lead in the second set and Odessa College called a timeout.
The Lady Wranglers found themselves down by four a couple of times in the set, trailing 13-9 and 15-11.
Each time, the hosts were able to respond.
An error by the Lady Broncos tied the game up at 16-16.
However, NMMI answered back with a quick 3-0 run.
A kill by NMMI’s Daisy Benites Franco then made 20-16 for the Lady Broncos.
A three-point surge for the Lady Wranglers made it a one-point set.
A kill by Dale then evened the score for a 4-0 Lady Wrangler run.
Once again, neither side refused to concede and the Lady Broncos took a 24-23 lead before Odessa College called a timeout.
However, a block from NMMI on the next play clinched the set at 25-23 and both teams were tied with one win apiece.
The Lady Wranglers began the third set with a 10-6 run.
NMMI would get going and built a crucial 19-15 lead.
A kill by Faith Williams got one back for the Lady Wranglers, sparking a 2-0 run.
Odessa College soon tied it up at 20-20 after a kill by Bew.
NMMI used a 3-1 run to make it 23-21.
Even though OC tied it up at 23-23, the Lady Broncos used a 2-0 run, capped off with an Lady Wrangler error, to take the third set, 25-23.
New Mexico Military Institute began the fourth set on a 5-2 run.
Things would get tougher for Odessa College as NMMI’s lead became 9-3.
The Lady Wranglers didn’t throw in the towel and it wasn’t long before they pulled to a 14-12 deficit.
The Lady Broncos answered back with a 3-0 run.
An error by the Lady Wranglers gave the Lady Broncos a 20-14 lead.
Odessa College used a late rally to try and keep things alive and soon only trailed 24-22.
It wouldn’t be enough as New Mexico Military Institute was not to be denied and closed out the set and the game to remain undefeated in WJCAC play.
New Mexico Military Institute will next face New Mexico Junior College at noon Saturday back home in Roswell, N.M.
Odessa College will go up against Amarillo College for a 2 p.m. Saturday game at FirstBank Southwest Center in Amarillo.
The Lady Wranglers defeated Amarillo College in straight sets in their last meeting back on Sept. 25.
