MIDLAND A slow start set the tone in the Odessa College volleyball team’s final match of the regular season against Midland College Saturday.
The Lady Chaps came away with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 sweep against the Lady Wranglers in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play at the Chaparral Center.
Both teams came into the contest knowing it had big implications in seeding for next week’s WJCAC Tournament that will take place at the OC Sports Center.
Odessa College (14-6 overall, 7-5 conference) was in fourth place in the conference standings, while Midland College (17-7, 9-3) was in second.
Earlier this month, the Lady Wranglers were able to come away with a five-set victory over their rival with only seven players available to play due to injuries.
They couldn’t find that spark the second time around.
“I think they were not making adjustments,” Odessa College coach Dayana Acevedo-Rios said. “I feel like they felt the pressure of this important match.
“It took them a little bit longer than expected to make the adjustments, but I think at the end they decided to play hard.”
The Lady Wranglers kept things close throughout the first set, evening the score up multiple times until it sat at 21-21.
Midland College outscored Odessa College 4-2 to jump ahead and seal the first set win.
That gave the Lady Chaps some momentum, only allowing the visitors to lead at the opening of the second set.
Despite a late 3-0 scoring run from Odessa College, it couldn’t cut the deficit the home team had built as they went up by two sets.
Midland College was ahead throughout the start of the third set and built a 19-13 lead before a 6-0 scoring run from the Lady Wranglers tied the score up and gave them a boost to put the Lady Chaps on their toes late.
Midland College would go on to outscore Odessa College 6-4 to end the contest with a sweep.
The result helped the Lady Chaps seal the second seed in the tournament.
Midland College coach Tammie Jimenez said her team focused on its own issues to get past Odessa College to close out the regular season on a high note.
“We just worked on fixing our problems on our side of the net, improving the serve and pass game and really just putting forth more effort,” Jimenez said. “Physically, they hit a better ball than we do sometimes so we have to have more finesse to our game, be a little smarter and always win the serve and pass game.”
Daniela Rodrigues paced the offense for the Lady Wranglers with 10 kills, with Vanessa Cantoni recording a team-high 19 assists.
Acevedo-Rios said she believes Rodrigues is a competitive leader who aims to keep the team focused on what’s in front of it.
“Even if she’s not having the best game of her life, she still finds a way to keep her teammates engaged and that’s something that we really need,” she said. “I think that she still brought it, even though she was not as offensive as she has been in the past.”
Throughout the season Odessa College has had a tough time in its matches on the road, posting a 2-4 record in contests held outside of the OC Sports Center.
Acevedo-Rios feels that being back at home brings some sense of confidence and comfort, but she knows the situation will increase in difficulty with more on the line to play for.
Jimenez said the playing field will be even when the conference tournament starts.
“There’s still a lot of work to do because going into the tournament, everybody’s equal again,” Jimenez said. “Everybody’s record is 0-0, so it’s who is going to show up that day.”
The Lady Wranglers will have the fourth seed in the conference tournament.
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Midland College def. Odessa College
25-22, 25-18, 25-23
Saturday at Chaparral Center, Midland
Kills — Odessa College: Daniela Rodrigues 10, Myllena Torquetti 7, Serenity Mamizuka 5, Yasmin Figueiredo 3, Brianna Mock 2, Ainara Fernandes 1.
Blocks — Odessa College: Rodrigues 5, Torquetti 3, Figueiredo 2, Fernandes 1.
Assists — Odessa College: Vanessa Cantoni 19, Elif Yasar 9.
Digs — Odessa College: Mamizuka 16, Isil Yimaz 14, Rodrigues 7, Figueiredo 6, Cantoni 5, Fernandes 3, Torquetti 3, Mock 2, Yasar 1.
Aces — Odessa College: Yasar 1, Rodrigues 1, Cantoni 1.
Records
Odessa College 14-6 overall, 7-5 WJCAC; Midland College 17-7, 9-3.
