Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press

ODESSA, Texas — In order to become the best, a team has to play strong competition.

The New Mexico Military Institute volleyball team began the season taking on the defending champions and the current No. 1-ranked Navarro College Bulldogs at the NMMI Classic in Odessa, Texas on Friday.

NMMI went the distance with Navarro but it couldn't finish strong as the Bulldogs won a five-set thriller 24-26, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, 15-10.

In match two, the Broncos fell in four sets to College of Southern Idaho 18-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-17.

NMMI begins Day 2 on Saturday with Vernon College at 2 p.m. CST followed by Snow College at 7 p.m. CST.

"We just became really tight and super error prone," said NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "We were comfortable to start the match, we were laid back, and we were ready to go.

"As the game went on we just got tighter, and it was almost like we didn't want to lose it. It's hard to win games when you're backwards like that."

After seven different lead changes, the Broncos pulled away for a 19-15 lead against Navarro. NMMI increased its lead to five before the Bulldogs surged back to cut the deficit within one.

In the end, the Broncos edged out Navarro by two to take the set.

Navarro proved why it's the best team in the country in the second set as it built a dominating 20-10 lead before eventually taking the set to tie the match.

Similar to the opening set, the Broncos had to dig deep to come away the third set victory after enduring six lead changes.

A kill by freshman Marian Ovalle helped pull NMMI ahead by four late in the third set.

Navarro jumped out to a six-point lead in the fourth set and never looked back to force a pivotal fifth.

The final set started off close as each team battled for each point, but Navarro ended up prevailing.

NMMI was the only team in the tournament that did not lose in straight sets.

Match two was highlighted by the debuts of Roswell High grad and freshmen Jalen Baca, while fellow freshman and Goddard grad Sophie Price made her first appearance against the Bulldogs in against Navarro.

The Broncos showed streaks of brilliance in their first set win over CSI as they held an eight-point lead.

"We just need that sophomore leadership to come out and expose some of that so that we can get control of it," Forchtner said. "I think it's really good to play the top teams in the nation right at the very beginning so you can see where you're at.

"Obviously, we have all the tools to beat them, we just have to work on the mental part of it now."

Day 1 scores

CSI def. Vernon (25-19, 25-9, 25-20)

Odessa def. Missouri State University-West Plains (25-22, 25-17, 25-19)

Snow def. Vernon (25-21, 25-17, 25-19)

Snow def. West Plains (25-13, 25-20, 25-23)

Odessa def. Navarro (25-19, 25-18, 25-17)