NMMI Sports Press
The Bronco Volleyball team completed a season sweep of conference rival Odessa College with a 3-1 road victory Wednesday night in Odessa, Texas. The game marked a return to form for sophomore outside hitter and middle blocker Barbara Guedes who had been dealing with a nagging injury.
Guedes converted four of her 10 kill attempts with no errors to hit .400 and served up nine aces on 22 attempts with just one error.
"We have been waiting for this day since she was injured," said NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "We've kept her out there because she's our team captain, because she's an energy bug, because she's a hard worker. And this is what we need from her; aggressive serving, big swings. And that girl blocked a ton of balls and the ones she didn't block, she had her hands on."
After eventually pulling away to take the first set, the Broncos began the second in a 4-1 hole before Guedes got the serve and didn't relinquish it until NMMI was up 11-4. The run included five aces.
The Wranglers closed the gap to 16-10, but a Leah Linares kill after a long rally that featured a great save on a ball close to the net by sophomore libero Mio Yamamoto got the Broncos back on track. An Odessa error followed by another Linares kill prompted a timeout for the home team.
Sophomore hitter Allyah Tokelau blasted a ball through the Odessa block to make it 21-10 after the timeout. The Wranglers would manage a few more points, mostly from NMMI errors, but the Broncos finished off the set with a few hard hits from freshman blocker Vitoria Oliveira and sophomore hitter Baby Moleni.
The Broncos had another slow start in the third set and rallied twice to keep it close halfway through, but a string of errors, timely plays from Odessa and a questionable boundary call doomed the Broncos.
The Wranglers kept the momentum to begin the fourth set, but began to wear out and commit errors while the Broncos regained focus and brought in fresh legs in sophomore outside hitter Laila Bernardino, who has earned more playing time as of late.
"She's been working really hard the last few weeks, so she's the first person off the bench for us," Forchtner said. "She hasn't been consistent enough in practice to earn a starting spot, but she's on the right track and gives us an option when someone else isn't being productive."
The fourth set stayed tight after the Bronco rally, with neither team taking more than a 1-point advantage until an 18-18 tie was broken by a long kill from Guedes, followed by an ace on her ensuing serve. NMMI finished off the match with a couple hard kills from Moleni and a big solo block from Oliveira.
Moleni led the team with 11 kills on 33 attempts with six errors. Sophomore hitter Allyah Tokelau was productive and efficient with 10 kills on 23 attempts with just two errors.
Sophomore libero Mio Yamamoto finished the match with 29 digs and one ace on 10 serve attempts with just one error. The All-American made several blink-of-an-eye saves during the match, including a couple diving pancake digs that led to Bronco points.
The small, but vocal home crowd chanted Yamamoto's name throughout much of the game, but the unflappable defensive dynamo didn't mind.
"I don't think crowds affect us at all," Forchtner said. "We're used to mandatory games at home where you can't even hear each other. So those people screaming Mio's name, they might as well be cheering for her. If the opposing crowd is invested in you at all, just pretend they love you."
Yamamoto earned Region 5 and NJCAA defensive player of the week honors for her play against Frank Phillips College and New Mexico Junior College last week. In those eight sets, she had 58 digs, eight assists and five service aces. It's her second time winning the national honor and fifth time winning the regional award.
The Broncos now sit at 6-3 in conference play along with Midland and Frank Phillips. Odessa and NMJC lead the conference at 7-2. NMMI lost both matches against NMJC, but had two great sets against them in Hobbs in a five-set loss Saturday.
"Our kids just need to stay invested in the process," Forchtner said. "We're good enough to beat anybody, we just have to step up and own it. This team has struggled with confidence from the moment we stepped on the court this season. If they can truly believe in themselves and each other, this team can go on a run."
The Broncos begin a three-game home stand on Saturday as they welcome Amarillo College to Cahoon Armory for a 2 p.m. matchup.