Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
Hosting the 14th edition of the New Mexico Military Institute Classic, the Bronco volleyball team had a mindset of defending their home court against any challenger.
Going up against three ranked opponents in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll, NMMI was able to rise above the tough competition to finish the two-day tournament 4-0.
During the finale Saturday at the Godfrey Athletic Center, the Broncos played in a pair of five-set thrillers, winning both against Eastern Arizona College, 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 19-25, 15-10, and No. 13 Navarro College, 23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 18-25, 15-10.
"To see the fight in this group of kids in the first weekend is what we want," said NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "We already have a really good group and nucleus, and we just want to get better."
In the fourth match against Navarro, the environment was already electric with a big crowd on hand.
NMMI had a slight one-point lead early in the first set before the Bulldogs gained momentum and pulled out to a five-point lead.
The Broncos fought hard but lost by two points after forcing a tie late in the game.
Firing off five unanswered points, NMMI got off to a hot start in the second set before Navarro tied the score at 9-9.
Allyah Tokelau delivered a kill to give the Broncos a one-point lead.
From that point on there were seven different lead changes until NMMI went on a 7-5 run to tie the match and win the set.
The third set was just as nail biting as both teams endured 12 different lead changes.
NMMI erased a three-point deficit to later hold a six-point lead that was chiseled down by Navarro, which ended up tying the game at 19-19.
Each point came with a hard fought battle until the Broncos got the upper hand and finished on a 2-0 run to close out the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Navarro flipped the script in an instant as it took control of the fourth set and jumped out to a 10-point lead.
The Bulldogs never trailed in the fourth set as they led by as much as 11 to force the deciding fifth game.
Some of that momentum carried over in the final set for Navarro as it began on a 3-0 run.
NMMI didn't back down and tied the set at 3-3 before engaging in two more ties.
The Broncos put their foot on the gas pedal and didn't look back after breaking a 6-6 tie they unleashed a 13-1 run to increase the deficit to six points.
Navarro battled but NMMI didn't prevail late in the game as it came away with a 15-10 set victory.
Marian Ovalle led the Broncos with 17 kills while Darcy Dodd added with 12. Katarzyna Niderla tallied seven kills and Tokelau finished with six.
Mio Yamamoto played a sensational match in the back court, picking up 35 digs. Ovalle and Dodd finished with 10 digs apiece.
Megan Waghorn added with 20 assists and 22 digs. Karya Suvarioglu helped the offense with 16 assists.
Niderla assisted with 11 blocks while Ovalle had six and Suvarioglu finished with five.
"This team has the biggest heart and it shows on and off the court. The energy never dies," Waghorn said. "It's a huge confidence booster. Navarro is one heck of a team and being able to beat them is huge for us."
NMMI travels to Odessa for the Wrangler Invitational Friday and Saturday, Aug. 27-28. The Broncos take on Trinidad State College at 9 a.m. CDT to begin tournament play.