A year ago, the Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team finished 28-10 and fourth at the Region IX tournament. This season could be a different story as second-year head coach Fati Balza has a team that has plenty of height with a good combination of returners and newcomers.

Dani Cruz, a third-year player from Guadalajara, Mexico, can already see the talent and the camaraderie on the team after three days of practices.

“Practices has been really fun, it’s great to see so many new faces and new ways to approach volleyball,” Cruz, who had to red-shirt a year ago because of surgery, said. “Even though all of us are a little bit sore you can see that everyone is putting their 110% to every practice or activity we’re doing.”

This team has all the ingredients to push for a Region IX championship and berth to the national tournament, which will be held at Austin Paey Univesity in Tennessee in November.

“I think this team is really talented, everyone comes from a different background which brings so many things that only add greatness to the team,” Cruz said. “We have girls that have played at many different levels bringing lots of experience. I can tell we’ll get far this season.”

WNCC returns three players who will be in their third year after each endured a red-shirt year because of an injury. Besides Cruz, the other two are Kyana Gabriel of Hilo, Hawaii, and Jaylen Nachtigall of Hot Springs, South Dakota.

The other returners include Alex Gonzalez-Orozco of Gering; Ahleejah Tovo-Sunia of Laie, Hawaii; and Nadiyyah Northern of Avondale, Arizona.

The newcomers have height with five players 5-foot-11 or taller. The newcomers include Emma Hergenreder, 5-11 of Scottsbluff; Elizabeth Braithwaite, 6-4, and Keira Zelada, 6-2, both from Lima, Peru; and Maria Niedzwiecka, 6-0 of Poland.

The other newcomers include Anika Davison, 5-9 of Aurora, Colorado; Reese Fleck, 5-6 of North Platte; Natalia Malinowska, 5-9 of Poland; and Allie Twamley, 5-7 of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

For Cruz, she is excited to be out there playing this year after taking a year off.

“I’m super excited to be back on the court especially to be back playing for WNCC again,” she said. “Last year was a tough year since I had to get surgery but now I’m really enthusiastic to be able to play here one more time 4.”

Practices have not been easy and the players are all battling each other for intense sessions.

“Practice has been really intense but I think everyone was prepared for it; we all knew that we were only going to have a couple of weeks to get ready for our first game day which is on August 22nd, so we were all prepared for intense practices to be the best version of this new team,” Cruz said.

WNCC early schedule is not easy. WNCC will have some scrimmages at Sterling, Colorado, on September 16 and then open the season August 22-23 at the Riever Invite where they will face Iowa Western Community College and Salt Lake Community College.

It is the following week, September 29-30, where the team will see competition when they compete in the Salt Lake tournament where they will face four Florida teams in Hillsborough Community College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida SoutWestern State College, and Daytona State College.

An interesting fact about that Florida SouthWestern State match on Saturday August 30 is Balza and first-year Florida SouthWestern coach Cesar Benatti were assistant coaches under Giovana Melo at WNCC.

WNCC will then have tournament games at Cheyenne, Wyoming (Sept. 5-6) and Sterling, Colorado (September 12-13) before their home-opener Tuesday, September 23 against Northeastern Junior College. WNCC will also host the Region IX tournament this year November 5-8.

What sets this team apart is how this team has connected together and that could be a sign of good things to happen.

“I’m really surprised on the team, the freshman really connected since day one with each other and with us the sophomores,” Cruz said. “The first moment we all met each other, it looked like we have known each other for years. I think we just need to keep doing what we’re doing and for when the season starts, we will definitely be a unit, probable even before that."

Cruz said the little BBQ that they had with family and friends on Friday, the day they checked in, was definitely something that really brought the team together.

“Having the opportunity to give back to the community with the BBQ was something really special,” Cruz said. “Seeing so many faces that all of us know or have seen around town was great because we got to give back a little bit to them, talking with people who maybe you’ve seen around campus or town and knowing that they support the team is something that can’t compare, so it was a really great experience that I believe helped the team to understand the importance of representing the school.”

 
WNCC women’s soccer aiming for a better season this year
 
The Western Nebraska Community College women’s soccer team won just three matches a year ago and this year the record could be reversed as the Cougar women opened pre-season practice over the weekend with plenty of talented players.
Women’s soccer player Danae Montalvo, a sophomore from Quito, Ecuador, said this team has plenty of talent and everything has been going well so far after two days of practices.
                “I see the team doing very well this year and that we can go very far,” Montalvo said. “We want to win the region.”
                The Cougar women have six players back from a year ago and five that saw action.
                Montalvo said there is plenty of depth on the team.
                “We have a lot of talent individually and we are going to transform that in a group way. We want to be a very technical team,” she said.
                Besides Montalvo, other returners include Audrey Gosvener of Cassville, Missouri; Rachel Riordan of Acworth, Georgia; Mariah Russel of Scottsbluff; Amanda Duarte of Tangara da Serra, Brazil; and Tanner Nelson of Loveland, Colorado.
                Another player that came in at semester a year ago also returns and that is Marit Schelstraete of The Netherlands.
                The Cougars also have 14 freshmen on the squad besides Schelstraete, including to local soccer players in Gering’s Allison Herbel and Scottsbluff’s Adryana Rodriguez.
                The rest of the newcomers include Melanie Belder, Stefanie Ceja-Gomez, Camilla Emanuelle de Souza, Feline Groenwold, Aeiasha Lashley, Candela Martin, Julia Santos, Irene Romero Molina, Lilian Shindle, Nia Trevino, and Rory Weizenegger.
                “All our practices are very difficult and we try to put the greatest effort into the practices and we want to get the best out of us,” Montalvo said. “Expect good things from this team. We promise to fight until the end.”
WNCC will have a Navy and Gold scrimmage on Saturday, September 9 and then they will open the season for real August 22 and 23 at Ephriam, Utah, where they will face Northwest College and Yavapai College.
The Cougars’ first home match is slated for September 19 and 20 when they host Otero College and Trinidad State College.
 
WNCC men’s soccer team opens practice with the goal of another regional title
 
The Western Nebraska Community College men’s soccer team won the Region IX title a year ago and this year first-year head coach Eseah Ingram is hoping for nothing less as the Cougar men opened pre-season practice this weekend.
“Goals for the year are simple, win the Region IX & District and compete for a National Championship. Anything less is a failure,” Ingram said. “As much pressure as that may bring, it’s the reality of our program and our standard. We, as a program, are working hard to establish culture. Last year was great but it’s in the past. This year we strive to do it all again, but even better.”
The Cougars welcomed 26 players in this weekend as they started two-a-days on Saturday. The team will have a Navy and Gold scrimmage on Saturday and a scrimmage at Garden City Community College on August 13.
Ingram said practice have not been bad and he is seeing a lot of talent on the team this year.
“So far I think we have learned that we have a lot of talent and the ability to play our futbol at a high level,” he said. “But there’s always room for improvement and I believe my players and the coaching staff understand and are striving for that everyday so I’m excited to continue to grow and develop with this team.”
The Cougar men have 10 players back from a year ago and have a roster of 16 newcomers.
                The returners include goalkeepers Tomas Guzman of Buenos Aires, Brazil, and Owen Henderson of Greeley, Colorado; Yediel Hernandez of Moca, Puerto Rico; Bonheur Kitongo of Erie, Pennsylvania; Anthony Lemus of Houston, Texas; Brady Smallwood of Greeley, Colorado; Mederique Eboucle of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Jafeth Ortega of Houston, Texas; and Jeff Laguerre of Haines City, Florida.
                The newcomers on the team include Randall Jacques and David Nigolo from Montreal; Jean Wil Standly-Lord from Terrebonne, Quebec; Sean Kim from Orlando, Florida; Ever Zubia from Denver; Robert Connolly; Aurele Cuenot; Christ Aaron Kadja; Tomoaki Kamiya; Nicollas Liemira de Souza; Juan Macias; Oscar Molina; Pau Vera Montoya; Giani Nguili; Cohen Rowe; and Nicolas Selvaggio.
Ingram said the talent on the team is proper.
“Have some quality players here with solid backgrounds and it’s showing in the early days consistently,” he said. “The players that stayed and that have been brought in are the right players for this team.”
The early season matches will be tough as they open the season August 21 and 23 in Ephriam, Utah, when they face Salt Lake Community College and Show College. The team’s first home match is slated for September 19 against Otero College.
“The training sessions are intense of course, but that’s the nature of preseason,” Ingram said. “New year, new team, new opportunities and minutes to earn. Not a lot of time to be messing about, so the intensity at a proper and consistent  basis is important in these early days.”