Knights volleyball sophomores are recognized during Sophomore Night festivities prior to their match on Wednesday. (Skylar Evans, North Platte Community College)
North Platte, Neb. – North Platte Community College volleyball team closed out the regular season with a sweep of Southeast for their sixth straight win, 25-13, 15-13, 25-10, on Wednesday night.
Setter Kiley Kearney led the offense with 30 assists, six digs, and two aces. Sophomore Nya Lual anchored the attackers with 12 kills, while Makenna Stephenson added 10.
“I thought we did a good job staying focused and taking care of serve and serve receive,” said head coach Alexa McCall. “I’m proud of the team for the hard work they’ve put in, and I feel like we’re playing our best volleyball right now.”
Tied at 6-6 early in the opening set, a kill from Stephenson ignited a 7-0 run for the Knights. Riding that momentum, they extended their lead to double digits following a Bobcats attacking error. A Stephenson kill and an ace from Trinity Beutler sealed the set, giving North Platte a 1-0 advantage.
The second set followed a similar rhythm. Deadlocked at 3-3, a kill by Lual sparked an 8-2 surge that put the Knights firmly in control. Maintaining their rhythm, North Platte closed the set with another Stephenson kill, finishing with a 12-point margin to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third, North Platte came out firing, a kill by Khloee Wright opened the frame and fueled a 10-0 run. The Knights were the first to reach 20 points, holding Southeast to just eight. The Bobcats managed only two more points before Lual’s final kill closed the match and completed the sweep.
In the win, the Knights (15-14, 9-5 in Region IX South) clinched the No. 3 seed in the Region IX South standings and will await their opening round opponent for the Region IX postseason tournament, which begins Nov. 5 in Scottsbluff.
