NMMI Sports Press
The New Mexico Military Institute Bronco volleyball team won their first two matches in straight sets on Friday during the opening day of the NMMI Classic in Roswell. NMMI downed Garden City Community College 25-10, 29-27, 25-13, then upended South Mountain Community College 25-23, 25-14, 25-15.
Head coach Shelby Forchtner said her team came out well in their season opening match against GCCC, before faltering with a new rotation in Set 2.
"We struggled a little bit in game two," she said. "We didn't serve as tough and we didn't receive as well and did not block at all. It was a big difference from the first and third set. The crazy thing about it, is putting all those kids out there and they're talented enough to do what the other kids did."
Before opening the season officially on Friday, the Broncos had scrimmaged against West Texas A&M and Forchtner said her team was ready for real live action.
NMMI has 17 players on this year's roster and all of them saw action in the opening game against Garden City.
"The libero position is really loaded right now, we have three amazing kids that can play that position and all equally do it well and they all have a different strength, which they bring to the table. I think that's kind of a position that might interchange as the year goes on and who we're playing across the net,"Forchtner said.
Yumeno Nawa, Karime Raygoza and Ha'hulakelekaimana Crisostomo are the three playing in the libero spot.
Forchtner also praised the play of freshman setter Barbara Celar in the first game against Garden City.
"I think Barbara did a really good job. She's going to get more and more comfortable and that's the beauty of what we're going to see from her. This is not her best volleyball right now, because she is still trying to figure out her teammates and figure out our offense," Forchtner said of the Bosnia native.
The Broncos return to action Saturday at the Cahoon Armory Gym with a 12 p.m. contest against Hutchinson Community College and a 4 p.m. contest against North Central Texas College.
Regarding Saturday's opponents, Forchtner said, the Broncos are playing, "two teams that are really going to push us."
Both of those matches will be live-streamed and the links can be found on the Bronco volleyball Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/NMMI-Bronco-Volleyball-168728339887995/ - and on their schedule page on the nmmiathletics.com website: http://www.nmmiathletics.com/sports/wvball/2018-19/schedule.