The Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) volleyball team kicks off its run at the Region IX Volleyball Tournament this Wednesday in Cheyenne, Wyoming, aiming for a championship title and a spot in the national tournament, Rural Radio Network reports.
As the second seed from the South Conference, WNCC will face off against Central Wyoming College, the North’s third seed, in the tournament’s opening match at 1:30 p.m. at the Blue FCU Recreation & Athletic Complex on the LCCC campus.
WNCC enters with an impressive 26-8 record, while Central Wyoming holds a season record of 16-10. This tournament follows a regular-season meeting between the two teams on September 20, in which WNCC narrowly defeated Central Wyoming in a five-set match.
Sophomore outside hitter Dessiah Christopher, from Florida, highlighted the importance of focus and determination in a high-stakes regional setting.
“Regionals is when every team comes and fights to extend their season… No matter how their regular season went, they are still able to win a title,” Christopher stated.
A victory on Wednesday would set WNCC up for a Thursday matchup against the winner of McCook Community College (South 4 seed) and Eastern Wyoming College (North 1 seed) at 7 p.m. A loss, however, would move WNCC to the second bracket, where they would face the loser of the McCook/EWC game at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
The tournament’s bracket includes several other first-round games on Wednesday, with Trinidad State College (South 3) facing Western Wyoming Community College (North 2) at 11 a.m., followed by Laramie County Community College (North 4) versus Northeastern Junior College (South 1) at 4:30 p.m.
The tournament culminates with two district/regional championships: the Northwest Plains A Championship game on Friday at 5 p.m., and the Northwest Plains B Championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Winners of these matches will earn berths to the NJCAA national tournament, scheduled for November 20-23 at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Region IX Tournament Schedule @ Cheyenne, Wyoming
Wednesday, November 6
- 11 a.m. — Trinidad vs. Western Wyoming
- 1:30 p.m. — WNCC vs. Central Wyoming
- 4:30 p.m. — NJC vs. LCCC
- 7 p.m. — EWC vs. McCook
Thursday, November 7
- 11 a.m. — First-round losers (NJC/LCCC and Trinidad/WWCC)
- 1:30 p.m. — First-round losers (WNCC/CWC and McCook/EWC)
- 4:30 p.m. — First-round winners (NJC/LCCC and Trinidad/WWCC)
- 7 p.m. — First-round winners (WNCC/CWC and McCook/EWC)
Friday, November 8
- 12 p.m. — Thursday 11 a.m. winner vs. Thursday 7 p.m. loser
- 2:30 p.m. — Thursday 2:30 p.m. winner vs. Thursday 4:30 p.m. loser
- 5 p.m. — First Championship Game
Saturday, November 9
- 11 a.m. — Friday 12 p.m. winner vs. Friday 2:30 p.m. winner
- 4 p.m. — Second Championship Game
