NMMI Sports Press
On the second day of the 10th annual NMMI Classic volleyball tourney, the Broncos finished up 2-0, earning a perfect 4-0 record for the weekend.
NMMI started things off against Hutchinson Community College, winning 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20.
"Hutch was really athletic and I kind of feel like we are an athletic team as well, so I felt like the matchup was going to be a good one," said coach Shelby Forchtner. "They were a really good team for us to face. They did some really good things and we did some really good things, but it was also a game with a lot of errors.
"In the last five to seven points, we really want to try and minimize our errors, keep the ball in play, base release, play a lot of defense and get a few block here and there. Those things are what closed all of our matches and us keeping the ball in play."
NMMI took the first set and trailed 6-0 in the second, but came back for the win.
The Broncos adjusted their blocking and slightly moved one of their defensive players, which allowed them to make the proper adjustments to have an edge on the Blue Dragons.
"I think this group is good at making minor adjustments and can come back in games and take control. Even if we are down 0-6, we have a tendency to come back and make it 14-14," said Forchtner.
NMMI would eventually take the final set to give them the win against a very competitive Hutchinson team.
The final match for the Broncos at the Classic proved to be an exciting one against Pima Community College as Games 1 and 2 were tight, with the Institute winning 25-23, 25-22, 25-15.
In Game 2, the Broncos jumped to an early lead but Pima came roaring back to close the gap before Megan Martinez and Mariah Morris came away with a big block that moved the Broncos ahead 19-17. Setter Mirna Kovačević served three points to make the score 22-17 and NMMI went on to win Game 2 25-22.
The Institute dominated Game 3 as they forced Pima into many out-of-system errors. Tough hitting by the Broncos helped to complete Game 3 in Bronco fashion, 25-17.
"I think our libero played well again as Hannah really picked it up the last two or three games and got into a rhythm. It is nice to be on your home floor and start the season 4-0. That is a really good thing for our kids," Forchtner said.
The Broncos take their 4-0 record on the road to Arizona as they compete in the Roughrider Invitational Sept. 1-2.
"Going into our next tournament, we need to work a lot on communication," Forchtner said. "We still have some people who go out there and don't speak at all and that doesn't really happen in our practices."