Story by NPCC Athletic Communications
North Platte, Neb. - North Platte Community College volleyball dropped both matches Friday at the NMJC Invitational, falling to No. 12 New Mexico in three sets (22-25, 13-25, 21-25) before dropping a three-set match to North Central Texas (20-25, 20-25, 15-25).
“Today didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” head coach Alexa McCall said. “We made too many errors”
New Mexico 3 North Platte 0
Remington Stout recorded four blocks, while Marisa Carinci contributed 12 digs.
The Thunderbirds jumped out to an early lead, but North Platte battled back to tie the set four times before taking a 21-20 advantage. New Mexico responded with four consecutive points to regain control, then closed out the set on a kill to take a 1-0 lead.
Set two opened with the Thunderbirds taking an early 8-3 lead, forcing a North Platte timeout. The Knights responded with a six-point run sparked by a tip from Jerzy Moon to move in front. New Mexico regained control, building a double-digit lead to close out the set.
Set three was a battle throughout, but New Mexico pulled away to close out the set and complete the sweep.
North Central Texas 3 North Platte 0
Khloee Wright led the offense with eight kills, and Carinci continued her strong defensive performance with 17 digs.
The opening set featured six ties, with North Central Texas creating the final deadlock at 20-20 before scoring the next five points to claim set one.
The second set went back and forth early before the Knights used a five-point run to take a four-point advantage. The Lions responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. North Platte tied it at 14-14, but the Lions pulled away to take a 2-0 advantage.
North Central Texas opened the third set with a 7-3 advantage and continued to build its momentum, reaching up to a 13-point cushion to comfortably close out the set and secure the match.
“We need to clean up our side and be ready to compete tomorrow,” McCall said.
North Platte (5-5) returns to Hobbs, N.M., on Saturday for the final day of the NMJC Invitational. The Knights open the day against Vernon College at 9 a.m. before facing Dodge City Community College at 1 p.m.