NMMI Sports Press
The 10th-ranked Bronco Volleyball team took down the No. 3 team in the country at Cahoon Armory Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over the visiting New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds came into the contest with an overall record of 17-1 and 2-0 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play, with their only loss an 0-3 defeat to fourth-ranked Navarro College.
But NMJC was not ready for the power and accuracy of star sophomore middle blocker Vitoria Oliveira, who continues to put up monster offensive numbers while also being a consistent server, formidable blocker and surprisingly nimble defensively.
Oliveira converted 15-of-25 kill attempts with just four errors, served up two aces, had four assisted blocks and dug three balls. Her slide to the right and smash to the left was almost impossible for the 'Birds to defend.
"The slide is a ball that a lot of Division-I programs use because blockers are always chasing it and you can always cut inside," explained NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "But you have to have good timing and anticipation, and tonight both of our middles used that shot very effectively."
Freshman middle blocker Yuliana Favela killed 9-of-17 balls with two errors.
"We knew our middles would have to be big for us tonight and they both did a great job of scoring, keeping balls in play and being aggressive." Forchtner said. "Leah [Linares] struggled a bit with a different setter, but she's good enough to make the adjustment and get back on track quickly."
Kekililani Helekahi has taken on an offensive role over the past couple games with sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Portee sidelined with an injury. The do-all sophomore from Hawaii had 23 set assists, nine digs, four kills, two block assists and an ace.
"She was an attacker all through high school. Last year, we desperately needed her in the setting position. But now, with Alyssa out, we needed someone who could go in and take some swings and be aggressive. Pume is one of the most competitive kids on our team and she does a little bit of everytning for us."
NMMI took the opening set 25-17 behind dominating play at the net from Oliveira and Favela, coupled with sloppy receiving and setting from NMJC. But in the second stanza, the script flipped as the Broncos looked out of sorts in a 16-25 loss.
"We've had this problem all year — monkey see, monkey do," Forchtner said. "Whatever they did in the first set, we copied in the second. Hitting out of bounds, piling up errors, passing out of system. It's frustrating when you have sets like one and four, where you can beat anybody, and also have rough sets like two in the same match."
The Broncos got back to business in the third set, with big smashes from freshman hitter Allison Miller and Linares, but a commanding 8-3 lead turned into a 15-14 slight advantage as NMMI backed off the gas and errors accrued.
After a timeout, the home team refocused and finished off the set with good service from freshman libero Fuka Sekita and an emphatic block for Oliveira for the final point in the 25-19 win.
The 'Birds never got much going in the fourth and final as the Broncos ran away 25-10.
It was another fun night of growing the volleyball community in Roswell as the Broncos hosted players from at least five different area high schools and middle schools, recognizing them on the mic and video board between sets and socializing after the game.
"We've always tried to get local teams out to our games and now that it's finally happening, they love it," Forchtner said. "I think it's important for players to get out and see high-level volleyball and we love having them. We've made it out to some of their games and supporting each other is how we grow the volleyball community."
It was NMMI's second-straight contest against a top-5 team after defeating the No. 4 Wranglers 3-2 in Odessa Saturday, and the ninth ranked opponent of the season. The Broncos have won six-straight and out of their four losses, three were to ranked teams.
The Broncos next five matches are against non-ranked squads, four of which currently have losing records, but Forchtner says her team can't approach any conference game as if it will be an easy W.
"Everyone is better and more balanced this year. I really don't see a team making it out of this conference undefeated, it's just too much solid competition," she said. "And when you're playing good teams every game, that one game against a weaker team can turn into a perfect trap."
The Broncos host the Western Texas College Westerners at Cahoon Armory on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be livestreamed free of charge at KSVPtv.com.