Makenna Stephenson tips the ball over the net against Seward County to open day two the NPCC Tournament. (Skylar Evans, North Platte Community College)
North Platte, Neb. – The North Platte Community College volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking conclusion to the NPCC Tournament, falling in back-to-back five set matches on Saturday.
“Today was hard because we were very competitive in our matches but just came up short,” said head coach Alexa McCall.
Seward County 3 North Platte 2
In their first match of the day, the Knights came out swinging. Makenna Stephenson and Nya Lual led the way with 10 kills apiece. Zoe Maher and Stephenson anchored the defense with 11 digs.
North Platte jumped out to an early 7-3 lead in the opening set, but Seward County responded late and edged the Knights in extra points to take a one set lead.
Knights once again jumped out to an early lead, but another late rally saw the Saints tie the game up, 16-16. North Platte could not match the Saints down the stretch as they fell behind two sets.
Refusing to fold, the Knights roared back in sets three and four. Khloee Wright made a crucial impact in the third set, and Lual ignited a 7-1 run to close it out. A strong team effort, including kills from Wright and Remmi Stout, forced a decisive fifth set.
North Platte carried the momentum into the final frame, grabbing an early lead. However, Seward County rallied to tie the set at 14-14 and edged out the Knights in another extra points battle to take the match.
Central 3 North Platte 2
In the second match of the day, North Platte found itself in yet another back-and-forth showdown. North Platte and Central exchanged blows in in the opening four sets as the match entered the fifth set.
An ace by Stephenson gave North Platte an early 3-1 lead. Central answered with a 10-1 run to pull ahead and secure the win.
Stephenson and Wright finished the game with 14 kills each. Zoe Maher paced the defense with 25 digs, while Kiley Kearney tallied 37 set assists.
“We have no option but to learn from this weekend and move forward,” said McCall.
North Platte (0-3) will take on Nebraska Wesleyan in a scrimmage on Tuesday. The game is scheduled for 4:30 at Lincoln, Nebraska.
