SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. - The Region IX volleyball tournament pairings have been set for the tournament that begins Wednesday, November 5 at Western Nebraska Community College’s Cougar Palace.
The battle to get into the tournament came down to the final weekend and Trinidad State College and Gillette College needed the tiebreaker formula to earn the fourth seeds from the North and South divisions to earn a trip to the tournament
Action opens Wednesday morning when the host WNCC Cougars (south 2 seed with a 14-19 overall record) takes on the north 3 seed Laramie County Community College at 11 a.m. LCCC has a 17-12 overall record and lost the tiebreaker with Central Wyoming College for the second seed.
Action continues at 1:30 p.m. with another match between the two and three seeds from the south and north divisions. The 1:30 contest features Central Wyoming College (north 2 with a 15-16 record) taking on North Platte Community College from the south. North Platte earned the third seed with a 15-14 record.
Action continues with evening games. The 4:30 p.m. contest pits Casper College, the North top seed with a 24-7 overall record, taking on Trinidad State College, who finished with a 15-14 record and were tied with McCook Community College with 8-6 conference records.
The final match of the night will pit the No. 4-ranked Northeastern Junior College Plainswomen, who finished the south division with a 14-0 record and are 29-3 overall, taking on Gillette College. Gillette defeated Eastern Wyoming College on Saturday to earn the fourth seed. Gillette is 19-8 overall. That contest begins at 7 p.m.
Action continues Thursday with semi-finals in the Northwest Plains A bracket and then elimination matches in the Northwest Plains B bracket.
The Northwest Plains A championship match is slated for Friday at 5 p.m.
The Northwest Plains B championship is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m.
The winning teams from the A and B bracket qualify for the NJCAA national tournament November 19-22 at Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Last year Northeastern Junior College and Eastern Wyoming College captured the Region IX titles and competed in the national tournament.
Admission for the tournament is $20 for a tournament pass or day passes are $8 for an adult, $5 for a student, $5 for senior citizens, and children under the age of six are admitted free.
The matches will also be live-streamed on the WNCC Athletics YouTube Channel. The Region IX Tournament webpage is located on the WNCC athletic website at www.wnccathletics.com.

Region IX Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, November 5
11 a.m. – WNCC vs. LCCC
1:30 p.m. – Central Wyoming vs. North Platte
4:30 p.m. – Casper vs. Trinidad State
7 p.m. – NJC vs. Gillette
Thursday, November 6
11 a.m. – LCCC/WNCC loser vs. Trinidad/Casper loser
1:30 p.m. – Central/NPCC loser vs. NJC/Gillette loser
4:30 p.m. – WNCC/LCCC winner vs. Trinidad/Casper winner
7 p.m. – Central/NPCC winner vs. NJC/Gillette winner
Friday, November 7
12 p.m. – Thursday 11 a.m. winner vs. Thursday 7 p.m. loser
2:30 p.m. – Thursday 1:30 winner vs. Thursday 4:30 p.m. loser
5 p.m. – Winners from Thursday’s semifinals for championship
Saturday, November 8
11 a.m. – Friday 12 p.m. and 2:30 winners
4 p.m. – Second championship – 11 a.m. winner vs. Friday’s 5 p.m. loser